Watch Match Point on our website!
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 22, 2020) – The documentary Match Point: The Rise of Men’s Volleyball is now live on our website.
Match Point: The Rise of Men’s Volleyball is an original documentary that brings awareness to boys and men’s volleyball in the United States. The film is inspired by First Point Volleyball Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on growing opportunities for boys and men’s volleyball.
The documentary follows U.S. Men’s National Team Head Coach John Speraw and his team as it competes at the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Nations League and prepares for Olympic qualification.
Speraw, collegiate coach Nickie Sanlin, and youth club director Ed Wrather, among others from around the country, discuss the opportunities that men’s volleyball presents in the United States and the challenges that the sport is facing. The film highlights the opportunities and challenges in bringing volleyball to diverse and under-served communities in America.
The documentary, directed and filmed by journalism and telecommunications students at Ball State University, has received a regional Emmy nomination in the “Directing Non-Live” category and an “Award of Excellence” from the 2020 BEA Festival of Media Arts.
Background on the Match Point Campaign
Match Point is not just a documentary. It is an organized, transmedia effort to bring awareness to the sport of men’s volleyball in the United States of America. The “Match Point” campaign features a website, social media presence, blog, podcast and a NCAA volleyball gaming app.
Website: matchpointmvb.com
Social Media: instagram.com/matchpointmvb/
Podcast: open.spotify.com/show/1txwjdAWXx94HgwyiELCWl
About the Center for Emerging Media Design & Development
Emerging Media Design & Development (EMDD) is an interdisciplinary graduate program at Ball State University. With human-centered design at the core of EMDD, this program pairs hands-on learning structures with three main curriculum pillars– transmedia storytelling, human-computer interaction, and design thinking. To explore EMDD projects or learn more about the program, visit centerforemdd.com.
About First Point Volleyball Foundation
Founded in 2016 by John Speraw, head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team and UCLA Men’s Volleyball, First Point Volleyball Foundation exists to provide opportunities for young people to mature and develop through volleyball. It is specifically focused on growing boys and men’s volleyball in the United States. First Point Volleyball has raised $3.2 million in three years and has helped start 17 new collegiate men’s volleyball programs. Learn more at firstpointvolleyball.com.