Visit the volleyball court on any Wednesday night and you’ll find one TCU student who’s hoping his sport will become the newest trend on campus.
Nicholaus Noguez, a sophomore communication studies major, heard about
“I started playing with a couple of high school buddies of mine and then we realized that there is actually a competitive aspect to it,” Noguez said.
Noguez entered his first tournament in April of 2017 and in his words, was “destroyed,” losing 0-16.
The result did not discourage him but encouraged him to get better and play more.
“After seeing the community and seeing so how many people got together to play the sport they all loved, I wanted to continue playing here at TCU,” Noguez said.
What is Roundnet?
Roundnet is a sport inspired by the basics of volleyball that contains a round net, held up by pegs and a similarly shaped but smaller ball.
“The game consists of two teams with two players,” Noguez said. “Each team is granted up to three
Opponents are able to run around the entire net to hit the ball with their hand or any part of their body.
Bringing Roundnet to TCU
Noguez, president of TCU’s
“I moved into Milton Daniel and saw that he had a
The two were able to get approval from the Student Government Association in January to start the club sport and have been meeting up and gaining members since.
Members meet Wednesday nights at 7 p.m. on the volleyball courts, weather permitting, or at the racquetball courts inside the Recreation Center and Saturdays in the Commons at 2 p.m.
“We have a running group chat if people want to play informally, but it’s a sport you can take anywhere and that’s the beauty of it,” Noguez said. “You don’t have to have a formal soccer field or a giant football stadium to play, you can fold it up and take it anywhere, literally play it in a tree.”
Dena said that the club has about 15 members and is quickly growing as people see that this is a sport anyone can play.
“We’re trying to bring people together over a new sport, introduce a new type of community to TCU,” Dena said.
Spikeball Inc.
Noguez said that Spikeball Inc. is the governing body and one of the leading manufactures of the sport, all pro-tournaments use them.
“There are three to four brands that sell the
Logan Cornelius, Senior Operations Manager at Spikeball Inc. and pro player, has become a mentor for Noguez and has helped him get into contact with local schools to teach the sport.
“I have started working for Spikeball to teach classes on the sport, to make sure that people are learning that this a sport that people can play for the rest of their lives,” Noguez said.
In February, Noguez traveled to Austin to teach the game to 37 physical education teachers who then taught their students and purchased Spikeball nets for their classes.
With the help of Cornelius, Noguez has been able to reach out to several other schools to either teach directly to students or to train PE teachers on the sport.
More than just a sport
The game of
“The sport has definitely developed me mentally,” said Noguez. “Playing the game itself requires a lot of discipline. It is easy to get in your head after missing a few serves or not getting easy shots. Working through that definitely reflects in life and getting out of tough situations you find yourself in.”
Noguez said that he has met his best friends through the sport and has become passionate about teaching the sport because it is so fun for him.
Each week Noguez feels more connected to his friends and peers who join in on Wednesday nights to play.
“My hope is to make a national appearance by the time I graduate,” Noguez said. “I may be a dreamer, but I want TCU to take the national title at the college nationals”
