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PORTLAND, Ore. (InvestigateTV) — Girls’ volleyball is seeing a spike. Data from the National Federation of High School Sports shows a steady increase in participation in high school volleyball programs over the last 15 years, with nearly half a million girls on the courts in 2025. However, in some parts of the country, fewer girls are hitting the hardwood to play basketball. Madeline Andrew, a high school senior in Oregon, is serving success with bump, set and spike. “Volleyball is my top priority,” Andrew said. She’s been playing since she was five and is headed to Michigan State University on a full-ride scholarship. “So going to college, like, yes, obviously it’s about school. But like I always wanted to play volleyball. Like that was my biggest goal ever,” Andrew said. National trends show sport preferences shifting Nationwide, more girls are picking up a volleyball, with 25% more hitting the court in the past two decades. Basketball participation is down by a third. Oregon is seeing that trend, too. The split really picked up pace starting in the 2018-2019 school year. Andrew has witnessed the shift firsthand among her peers. “My best friend, she played basketball and then she quit to play volleyball,” Andrew said. “She didn’t enjoy it as much. It is very different. Like with like, the intensity, I think. But I think she just enjoyed volleyball better.” Basketball coaches concerned about declining numbers Stories like that worry Coach Korey Landolt. “I’m really nervous about our numbers for basketball again this year. It’s not consistent,” Landolt said. Some years, turnout has been so low that they couldn’t even fill the usual three teams. “What do you think the likelihood is that you’ll still have another three teams this year?” reporter Ezra Kaplan asked. “I would say about a 55% sure that I’m going to. So, I’m hiring a coach for it and hoping that we have the kids that show up,” Landolt said. Even with Caitlin Clark’s national spotlight and a new WNBA team in Portland, high school basketball is still lagging. “Maybe we just haven’t quite caught up to it yet. I know we have a lot of little kids in our community that all of a sudden are really excited about basketball, but they’re like, you know, second, third, fourth, fifth graders,” Landolt said. Club opportunities fuel volleyball growth Landolt hopes the new interest will lead to more clubs and opportunities to play outside of school. That’s what Coach Lisa McBee says has fueled the growth of volleyball. “The growth has been exponential, probably since about 2013, 2014, the number of clubs has doubled,” McBee said. “There’s more opportunity. There’s more opportunity to play. There’s more opportunity to develop skills,” McBee said. Those skills go far beyond the edges of the court. “What’s really exciting is to watch what happens in between those points and those are those growth moments,” McBee said., The coaches insist that it isn’t a competition for athletes. Whether it’s with a slam dunk or an ace, they say the real win is keeping girls in the game. “Both sports have such fun components to them, and being a part of a team and both volleyball and basketball, could provide some excellent memories and growth and development as a person,” Landolt said. Read more of Madeline’s story by clicking here. Submit story tips to our Investigators Share errors or concerns with our Digital Editors Watch full episodes of InvestigateTV+ Subscribe to the InvestigateTV YouTube Channel
