The signs of growth are starting to show for the state’s newest potential high school sport.

Prep boys volleyball in Oregon is in its infancy, but it is starting to gain momentum across the state to become fully sanctioned by the Oregon School Activities Association.

“Hearing like 100 more people clapping than we are used to hearing is amazing,” said Summit sophomore setter Aiden Woods. “We are used to quiet gyms and playing in gyms that are completely empty.

“We are trying to make it a bigger thing,” Woods added.

The Storm, who won the Class 5A/4A state championship last spring, took down St. Mary’s of Medford 3-0 (25-17, 27-25, 25-15) Wednesday evening at Summit to improve their record to 6-1 at the midway point of the season.

“We are playing well,” said Summit boys volleyball coach Dan Drum. “Starting off the season like we ended it. I’m very pleased with our start here.”

This spring the sport has a feeling of legitimacy, with 10 leagues and a Culminating Event (unofficial state tournament) at the end of May. Each team has its schedule and roster listed on the OSAA’s website (osaa.org). That was not the case a year ago.

“Things are running more through the school and the athletic department, which is good,” Drum said. “We now have special districts. Last year we didn’t have any league play. You just played who you wanted. I think we have made good steps to it being a high school sport next year.”

Boys volleyball is in its second-and-final year as an OSAA “emerging activity”: A sport that has the potential to become sanctioned after a two-year evaluation process.

The OSAA, the state’s high school sports governing body, wanted one major change in the sport’s second year – growth.

Currently 68 teams from more than 70 schools (some teams running as co-ops) have been competing this season. Central Oregon has three teams: Summit, Crook County and Central Christian.

Those figures are well ahead of the 50-team threshold the OSAA required to consider boys volleyball a sanctioned sport and more than last year’s 52 teams.

A vote by the OSAA’s delegate assembly as early as October will determine whether boys volleyball will become a sanctioned sport.

Summit has proven to be a competitive team despite its youth. The Storm does not have a senior on its roster, as seven of its 10 players are sophomores.

“We are so young,” Woods said. “We have the foundation of volleyball, we have the basic technique and know what to do. And we want it. Last year we didn’t know what we could do, and now that we know what we can do, it is finding ways to get better because other teams are going to get better.”

While building a winning team is important, just as crucial is growing a sport trying to break through and become fully sanctioned.

“What we are really hoping for is to keep bringing freshmen into the gym and getting them into the sport,” Woods said. “We don’t want this sport to fizzle out once we graduate. We want to build something and leave it for kids to keep coming in. We want this to be a sport in Oregon forever. If we can get one new person to join each year, that is a win.”