High Flyer Clayton Zimmerman “Sets” the Standard for Boys Volleyball in Nebraska
Clayton Zimmerman of Malcolm recently committed to playing volleyball at Belmont Abbey, where he wants to major in Sports Management and get a minor in Psychology. He currently is the setter for his club team, High Flyers, but has played every single position in a game. He said one season early on he played middle one game and libero the next! I wanted to share the story of his love for volleyball and to inspire other boys to pursue volleyball. Clayton’s older sister Jaela plays for Creighton. Here is our interview:
What developed your passion/love for volleyball?
I am not sure of only one thing that has developed my love for the game, but it has been kind of fostered along with the help of many people. I started playing because of my sister Jaela, who started playing because of my oldest sister Maddie. Once I started playing, I couldn’t stop. I eventually got to the point where I wanted to start playing competitively. So, we went to Jaela’s club, VCNebraska. They allowed me to play in their local fall league for two years, as well as any summer camp I could make (and mom agreed to fund.) After I got into Junior High, they started a Prep and Play league, so I was able to continue playing. Once I got into High School, High Flyers came into the picture and allowed me to continue my passion competitively, while still continuing to practice at VCN as well. So, many different people and a couple of organizations have really allowed my passion to grow.
Who has inspired you to play volleyball?
I am not exactly sure if one person has inspired me to play. I know that at the beginning, it was Jaela that “inspired” me (by inspired I mean literally forced). She still continues to inspire me to get better. I would say that many of the coaches at VCNebraska have also inspired me. I have had many coaches there, and have not met one who wasn’t fully into me playing. They all support me so much and I am very proud that I can represent them at the next level. Also, the MacLeans that run the High Flyers program has inspired me with all of the hard work that they have put into running a club program by themselves.
How long have you been playing volleyball?
I started playing when I was probably around 8 or 9 but started competitively when I was 12, and club when I was 15.
Why do you love volleyball?
I love volleyball for countless reasons. It is a constant cycle of self and team improvement. No matter how many hours you put into it, you can always get better, and I love having to constantly work for it.
How has boys’ volleyball evolved in the state of Nebraska?
Boys’ Volleyball’s evolution in Nebraska, in my opinion, has been pretty sad. We literally have the most talented programs in college at every level of college athletics. From Creighton to UNL to Hastings to UNK to Wayne State to Midland to Concordia to any other programs I am missing, they all have CRAZY success. So, for most people, it is logical that boy’s volleyball would also be popular. However, I think that the popularity of women’s and girl’s volleyball may work against the fighting cause. Many parents and even many athletes think that volleyball is strictly a girl’s sport. When I started telling classmates about how I played volleyball, many of them didn’t even know men’s volleyball was a thing. In Nebraska, there is only one club that has consistently had a boy’s team, that being High Flyers. I know that more recently, VCNebraska has had a program for some younger dudes, and River City last year had a high school team. It was pretty exciting to have an in-state rival like some other club teams. The thing that most people are surprised by when I tell them about my club team last year, was that half of the players weren’t actually from Nebraska. I am from Malcolm, we had two kids from Norris High School, one kid from Adams Central High School, and one kid from Boone Central High School. The rest of the team consisted of three kids from Iowa, and one from South Dakota. In order for the sport to grow in Nebraska, we have got to have some parents really encourage their sons to play. It will never get anywhere if the state continues to almost disapprove of the sport.
How have you personally helped grow the game with boys here in Nebraska?
I have tried to the best of my ability to simply spread the word about the sport. Whether that be through word of mouth or by social media, I try to show people that it really is a thing. I also have reached out to a few boys in the state that others have told me might be interested. Though many times it doesn’t work out for whatever reason, it’s always worth a shot.
How can you inspire other young boys to pursue volleyball?
I hope that by promoting boys volleyball on social media some boys will be inspired. I also hope that by seeing that there are opportunities to go play in college, and you can still continue to play well into your older years. Also, if you are reading this interview and know of someone that would be interested, PLEASE share it! Hopefully, my story can inspire others!
What do you feel is the biggest difference in boys volleyball compared to girls volleyball?
I have played with girls and with boys over the past few years, and I would make the bold statement that they are completely different sports. Girls volleyball is a flowy, mostly in system game that consists of long rallies and varying speeds of play. Boys volleyball has fewer rallies, more thunderous kills, amazing blocks, and a lot more errors.
Tell me about your club experience?
I started playing for High Flyers freshman year of High School. I was (and still am) the manager of Malcolm’s Volleyball team, and I was at some game when one of their former players saw me. He found my Instagram and DMed me. He asked if I would be interested in playing, and gave me the coaches’ information. I went to a practice, and it took off from there. In my first year, I was kind of wishy-washy with my involvement, only going to the local Des Moines Tournaments. I also played right side, and this was when I was even shorter than I am now at 6′. Sophomore year I started setting and was very committed to the sport. We went to many qualifiers and went to nationals in Phoenix. Last year, we were pretty good and got 21st at Nationals in the Club Division. This year, we only return 3 players from our 18’s Team last year. But, I always love a challenge.
Where do you typically train at?
High Flyers usually practice at either Spikes, Belmont Rec Center, Lincoln Youth Sports Complex (aka Abbott), and sometimes Speedway Village. When I train with VCNebraska, it is at Abbott, but hopefully, sometime soon I can train at their new facility!
What other sports do you play?
In the past, I have played baseball, swimming, basketball, and continue to do track.
Here is the big question we all want to know… Who is the better volleyball player in the family? You or Jaela?
It’s hard to tell because we play different positions, but we definitely get into some arguments about it.
Boys volleyball is already the second-fastest growing sport in the country since 2012 according to NFHS. Hopefully, Clayton’s story will inspire you to pursue it as well!