COLUMBIA, S.C. – After waiting for more than a year, the Benedict College men's volleyball team will debut on Friday with a road match against Fort Valley State.

Benedict announced it would field a men's volleyball team in the fall of 2019, with the team expected to begin competition in January 2021. Covid pushed the start back a year.

Head coach Gwendolyn Rouse, who also doubles as the women's volleyball head coach, is excited to finally see her men on the court.

"It's very exciting. The kids are excited. They're hungry for it," Rouse said. "We have a good core of young men, guys who are fundamentally sound when it comes to volleyball. And they've got a very high level of love for the sport."

Rouse said fans will see a faster and more powerful version of volleyball compared to the women's game.

"Women's volleyball is fast, but men's is faster," Rouse said. "Men probably make more mistakes because they're more aggressive. When it comes to ball control, there's not going to be a whole lot because the ball is so fast. I think our student body will be very excited because they were excited about the women and we always had good crowds. Once they see the level of the men, we'll have good crowds, too.

"The game is definitely faster, so you have to be paying attention. There's not going to be as many long rallies as there are with the women because it's just power."

Rouse said one of her top players to watch this season will be Benjamin Attles, her first signee who has been on campus since last year. Attles is a 6-foot-6 outside hitter.

Other key players include Donovan Wilmott and Ras Jesse Delancy, a pair of transfers from the Bahamas.

The team is also made up primarily of freshman and redshirt freshman, as Rouse plans to build a strong foundation for the program.

"The team is very young. That's something positive. We have something to build on for the next three to four years."

Seven members of the team hail from either the Bahamas or the U.S. Virgin Islands, where men's volleyball is a very popular sport. Not only does that mean she has some highly-talented players, but a close-knit group and many have experience playing together in the past.

"That's going to make our job easier because they know each other," Rouse said. "They pretty much play year-round there. It's one of their main sports. So, it's easier to recruit from the Bahamas and Virgin Islands and I have connections."

Another of her players from the Bahamas is libero Clint Forbes, who joined the team as a walk-on.

"He's probably one of the best walk-ons I've ever had," Rouse said. "He is going to be a plus."

After Friday's opener against Fort Valley State, the Tigers will play three more matches on the road before playing their first-ever home match on Feb. 4 against Belmont Abbey College at 6 p.m.