SAGINAW, MI – Baby steps. Or, more appropriately, baby bumps, baby serves and baby digs. While their classmates were outside running, jumping, or kicking, a group of Swan Valley boys were inside the gym in front of approximately 150 fans trying something new. And they couldn’t have been happier. “If this would have been available,” Swan Valley senior Braiden Janetsky said, “I would have done this all four years.” Janetsky, a Swan Valley soccer player, is spending the final spring of his high school experience as a member of the first boys volleyball team in school history. The Vikings claimed a pair of wins in Wednesday’s volleyball quad, beating Midland (25-11, 25-23) and Swartz Creek (25-3, 25-15). Both Midland High and Swan Valley are in their first seasons of boys volleyball, preparing for the 2026 season when it becomes an official Michigan High School Athletic Association sport. “When the boys volleyball opportunity came up, I thought why not?” former Swan Valley girls volleyball coach Sarah Gyger said. “I love the sport. I love to coach.” Gyger was the Swan Valley girls coach for six seasons but chose to resign after the 2024 season. “I have a 2-year-old and 5-year-old at home and coaching the girls in the fall became too much, so I made it my last season,” Gyger said. “The spring season is easier for me, along with the shorter schedule. “I was excited about the challenge of starting a new program, knowing that we were the only ones in the area to have a program. It’s exciting to pilot a program in the Tri-Valley Conference. Still, there’s always a little doubt about doing something new.” The challenge was to teach volleyball to nine boys whose only exposure to the sport was on the beach, in gym class or in front of the TV. “It’s learning from square one,” Midland high coach Grant Murschel said. Murschel, a Freeland High School graduate, is also teaching a group of players who have never played competitive volleyball. “We did do tryouts, so we had a lot of guys interested, so that’s great. But we’re starting from scratch teaching everything from rotations to positions to all the other nuances.” Swan Valley and Midland are both members of the Thumb Area Conference with Swartz Creek, Grand Blanc and Lapeer/North Branch. They have five league nights with a tournament. “One of the biggest things with boys is they thought volleyball was basically a game of hitting the ball the hardest,” Gyger said. “They didn’t realize how many rules there were. “But I’ve been impressed by how fast they learn. They picked up a lot of the technical stuff very quickly, like rotations. Usually that takes a while to coach. I taught it one time, and they knew it. I asked some male coaches for advice on how to coach boys. One thing they told me was to never doubt their potential. They can do more than what you think and what they think.” The is also one major difference between the girls and boys game. While the ball and the court are the same dimensions, the net is 7 ½ inches higher for the boys. “The most surprising thing to me was how teamwork was the focus,” Janetsky said. “You can be an individual, but it’s very much a team sport. It’s definitely harder than I expected. Blocking and passing is difficult, but it’s been a fun process. “It was always fun to play in gym class. I’ve watched the girls play, and it looked like a lot of fun. I saw clips of guys playing it professionally and thought I’d give it a shot. I’m glad I did.” Janetsky is one of three seniors on the team with Jason Neuenfeldt and Maciek Skraba, with six players potentially returning next season. Swan Valley also has the makings of a feeder system in its middle school. “We have a middle school teacher (Matt Brady) who runs a sand volleyball league,” Gyger said. “Every year he’s getting more and more boys signing up. It’s where I’m getting most of the interest. Having a varsity team will only add to that interest.” Murschel is hoping for the same interest to take hold in Midland and across the Saginaw Valley League with the potential of the SVL having enough teams to sponsor it. “The nice thing about the sport is that all of the equipment is the same as women, so you’re not having to make a big investment,” Murschel said. “For these boys to have this access in public education is really, really cool. It’s a great thing for the sport of volleyball. “I’ve coached volleyball in Montana and at Freeland, but this is my first boys team. It’s been a blast. I love these guys. They’re fantastic. They came in thinking it was the same as the girls volleyball they watched, but there are differences. So they had to adjust to that, and also realize this isn’t gym class. We’re out here to compete and to learn. It’s a lot to take in your first year, but it’s been great.” Janetsky plans on attending Saginaw Valley State University next season and has already done some research. “I know SVSU has a boys club volleyball team, so that’s an option next year,” Janetsky said. “For this year, I’m just hoping people see us play, and it will start to snowball into a great program. “A lot of the guys on the team said they want to keep playing. It’s a great experience, and I’m thankful to be a part of it.” If you would like your local high school sports news delivered free to your inbox daily, click here and sign up for one of our local high school sports newsletters. Love reading about local sports? Don’t miss any of the excitement from the season ahead. Purchase your subscription now and get full access to every story on MLive!