Staying fit and having fun have always been a part of the men’s and women’s volleyball clubs at Iowa State, but recently the clubs added national travel to the list of perks offered.

Both the men and women’s teams competed in the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association Collegiate Volleyball Sports Club Championships in Dallas April 25-27 with with both teams coming away with 25th place finishes.

Both teams came away with a higher placing than their original ranking indicated. The men were ranked 47th, while the women went into the tournament ranked 49th.

The men’s club currently has 26 members, but it usually has around 45, men’s club president Wes Draughn said.

“In the past three years I have seen the numbers dip a bit,” he said. “But I expect them to climb back up next fall.”

Draughn said the lower numbers have affected how many teams the club can field.

“The larger group of men is usually broken up into four teams,” he said. “But because of low numbers this year we were broken up into three teams.”

Draughn said the first team, or A-team, is usually formed after the first month of school.

“We usually start the first week, and then we have the tryouts within the first month of school to get the first team started,” he said.

The club costs $85 per male student to join, which covers the entry fees for the tournaments, lodging at the hotel and uniforms, Draughn said. He said at most schools the cost ranges from $200 to $400 dollars.

Kathryn Rothstein, president of the women’s volleyball club, has been a member of the team for three years and was part of the team that traveled to Dallas.

Rothstein said it cost $45 annually to be a member of the women’s club.

“These costs cover uniforms, and travel for the members competing in the different tournaments,” she said.

Rothstein said the roster for the women’s team, like the men’s, varies from year to year.

“This year we had about 35 women actively participating in the club,” she said.

“But that number can change quite a bit depending on the year.”

Of these women who participate there are four officers who are in charge of everything.

“There are no coaches, so we have to run everything ourselves,” Rothstein said.

This helps promote the players to stay involved and move up through the ranks, helping them build their volleyball skills, and gives them leadership experience.

“Most of the women that are members of the club are in it for the love of the game,” she said. “Staying and making new friends on the team is [the] best part of the club, and we have a lot of fun in the process.”

Both Draughn and Rothstein would like to invite any interested students to contact them via e-mail.

Any women interested can contact Rothstein at [email protected], and men can contact Draughn at [email protected].