3STEP Sports Acquires Legendary Volleyball Club Munciana

Indiana-based club is the oldest and most elite junior volleyball program in the nation and will be a cornerstone of 3STEP Sports’ growing volleyball division

WILMINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--3STEP Sports, the nation’s largest and most impactful club and event operator in the nation, has acquired Munciana Volleyball Club, the oldest and most respected volleyball program in the U.S., as another foundational piece of its growing volleyball division.

Munciana was established in 1974 and has been one of the elite youth training clubs in the country for decades. Munciana was founded on the principals of teaching, as many of its original coaches were teachers and former volleyball players at Ball State University. The club’s mission is to develop the sport of volleyball and train its players in preparation for the next level of competition, whether that’s a seventh-grade team, high school, college, or national team. Teaching, training, and player development are at the core of Munciana’s brand.

Known as the “Cradle of Coaches,” Munciana has produced 120 college coaches, including coaches for each of the last two college volleyball national champions, Wisconsin University and the University of Kentucky. The club has a rich history of success that consists of more than 600 college commitments, 262 high school and club All-Americans, and 36 national championships.

“We started Munciana in 1974 and have gone from a garage band to the Beatles, as our local newspaper wrote,” said Munciana co-director Wes Lyon. “We’re very proud of our history and foundation. Joining forces with 3STEP Sports is going to help our program thrive during this next chapter.”

Munciana has its own 42,000-square foot facility, which houses six volleyball courts. The facility serves as home base for the club, as well as the 25-30 tournaments that it hosts each year. Munciana also runs the largest camp program in the nation, with more than 10,000 participants attending each year.

“It’s so exciting to be joining 3STEP,” said Munciana co-director Mike Lingenfelter. “It gives us the power of scale and more importantly the force of collaboration. Becoming part of the 3STEP family is going to provide tremendous benefits for our athletes and teams.”

The 3STEP reach spans 40+ states and serves more than 3.1 million athletes across eight sports through industry-leading events, nationally spanning club programs, premier media content and more. The mission of 3STEP is to be the standard of the youth sports experience and create consistency in the industry.

“Volleyball is a huge area of growth for us and Munciana has been synonymous with success for decades,” said 3STEP Founder and CEO David Geaslen. “Munciana co-directors Mike Lingenfelter and Wes Lyon are the best in the business at training and developing young athletes—in any sport. We are beyond thrilled to welcome them to the 3STEP family.”

To learn more about 3STEP Sports, go to www.threestep.com.
For more on Munciana, go to www.munciana.com.