Mighty Oaks branch out

Salem CC confirms starting women’s volleyball, expecting to begin play in fall of 2026; originally reported Aug. 29, official announcement made Monday

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – While officials at Salem Community College continue to explore the feasibility of bringing a football program to their campus they have committed to launching another new sports program.

Athletics director Bob Hughes confirmed Tuesday the Mighty Oaks will start a women’s volleyball program with play slated to begin in the fall of 2026.

“We’ve been exploring adding another women’s sport for a little while and volleyball really came to the forefront as the sport that makes the most sense for Salem at this time,” Hughes said. “We knew for a while we could grow and we wanted to be at a certain point and figuring out what the right fit was.”
The new sport joins a Salem lineup that includes men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball and, new this year, cross country.

(The athletics department made an official announcement on its website Monday. It said it has officially opened its search for the program’s first head coach, a “dynamic leader who can recruit, mentor and inspire student-athletes while establishing a strong foundation for long term success.” For more information about the head coach position or to apply visit http://www.salemcc.edu).

Last Thursday, the college’s board of trustees authorized the hiring of former Rowan head football coach Jay Accorsi as a consultant to look into the possibility of having football for the first time. At that same meeting the board approved an updated job description of an Athletic Coordinator that opened the door for the posting of a head volleyball coach’s position.

It has not been determined if the Mighty Oaks will offer scholarships in the sport as it does in softball and women’s basketball.

“We’re going to take a look at all the sports and take a holistic look at where we are divisionally within the next year,” Hughes said. “We’re not at that point yet, but that’s part of this. We have to make that decision before (the coach) starts though.”

Volleyball is the third most played women’s sport in the NJCAA Region XIX behind basketball and softball. The region has 15 members playing volleyball on the non-scholarship Division III level and four playing on the Division II level.

Locally, only two of the six high schools in Salem County currently play volleyball – Salem Tech and Schalick (JV only) – but because of the popularity of the sport regionally Hughes is confident the fledgling program will attract players.

“It’s a very fast rising sport in New Jersey and in the country as a whole,” Hughes said. “I have to imagine that these conversations are taking place at the high school level. I know at least two athletic directors locally that I’ve spoken to discussed the fact they have considered adding it as well because of the popularity.