When the USA males performed Poland in Volleyball Nations League on Wednesday, Matthew Knigge had 4 kills, an ace and a block.
On the floor, stats not usually value noting.
However in Knigge’s case, and within the case of the lads’s faculty volleyball world, it was a very large deal.
Knigge, a 6-foot-7 center blocker from New Egypt, New Jersey — which is about midway between New York Metropolis and Philadelphia and by way of central New Jersey and/or males’s volleyball in the course of nowhere — went to Vassar.
Vassar is in Division III and, properly there haven’t been too many DIII gamers within the USA national-team health club, a lot as one who began a Volleyball Nations League match.
Knigge bought into the USA health club for the primary time final summer season, however was injured and unable to take advantage of it.
So this 12 months, “To get the decision, after a very good European season — I had a very good European season — and to be bodily wholesome and within the health club and beginning to play the extent you realize you may play at, it’s like a second in a film when the clouds begin to clear and also you see the solar for the primary time,” Knigge stated with fun.
“So it’s only a particular second of feeling honored to be coming from the place I’m coming from, however then additionally understanding that the job isn’t performed.”
We talked after observe two weeks in the past in Anahaim, a couple of days earlier than coach John Speraw introduced the Olympic workforce. Knigge was actually not going to be one of many dozen plus an alternate going to Paris, however everybody knew that one other group of gamers would go to Antalya, Türkiye, for the primary spherical of VNL.
The USA bought swept by Poland and performs once more Friday towards France and finishes with Bulgaria on Saturday and Türkiye on Sunday.
All of which represented an amazing alternative for Knigge.
Since his final season at Vassar, the 27-year-old has performed a professional season for FC Schüttorf in Germany, two seasons for Arenal Emeve Lugo in Spain, three seasons for Membership Voleibol Guaguas within the Canary Islands, and the previous two seasons for SVG Lüneburg in Germany.
Subsequent 12 months he stated he’ll play for Berlin Recycling Volleys.
Which could have been the very last thing you would have anticipated.
Knigge performed 4 sports activities at tiny New Egypt Excessive College, the place volleyball was not an choice.
Baseball was his favourite, however at 16, he stated, “is once I made that swap to volleyball. I used to be enjoying on 4 groups yearly, a number of practices day-after-day, with a number of video games on a weekend. And that was a life for my dad and mom and myself, and in addition my sister was a very good softball participant. That’s simply what we did.
“At 15, I had some elbow points (he was a pitcher/first baseman) and I used to be good, however I made the choice. It was painful for me to play and I didn’t get the identical pleasure out of enjoying anymore and I wanted to cease. I keep in mind having that dialog with my mother and he or she stated, ‘Now what are you going to do?’ Not enjoying one thing wasn’t an choice.
“And we had simply had our first unit in health club class about volleyball.”
He favored volleyball straight away. He and his dad and mom discovered a membership that had boys volleyball in north Jersey, “and from my freshman 12 months by highschool we’d drive up two hours each Sunday morning, do our three-hour observe, and that was my publicity I needed to volleyball.”
As a late arriver to volleyball, his faculty choices had been restricted.
“I used to be on the high of my class (academically) in highschool and I knew I used to be a very good volleyball participant, however did I ever suppose I’d find yourself right here? Completely not.”
He utilized to Harvard, Princeton and MIT.
“I used to be simply low sufficient volleyball-wise that volleyball wasn’t getting me in and I used to be simply low sufficient academically that teachers wasn’t getting me in. I bought rejected by Harvard and Princeton and MIT instructed me I wasn’t ok at math.”
At Vassar he excelled from the beginning.
“I nonetheless had no publicity to organized volleyball at that time,” he stated, however as a freshman, Knigge led the workforce in blocks and hitting share.
“That first 12 months I most likely placed on 30 kilos of muscle. I used to be skinny and the identical peak I’m now. I got here into my freshman 12 months 6-7 and possibly 170 and now I’m most likely 220.”
As a sophomore, he grew to become the sixth AVCA DIII first-team All-American in Vassar historical past, ending third within the nation in each hitting share (.502) and blocks per set (1.25). As a junior in 2017, he led the nation in blocks (1.22) and his workforce in kills with 344 (2.89/set). That continued by his senior 12 months for Vassar when Knigge was second nationally in blocks per set (1.30) and second in kills (4.33/set) whereas hitting .356.
When he graduated he bought a Fulbright scholarship, “and even then I didn’t suppose I used to be going to play volleyball. I had a Fulbright alternative to go to Ukraine. I used to be a Russian and worldwide economics main, and had an invite to check in Kyiv … I just about thought I used to be going to Kyiv that fall.
“Solely to get a letter (from the State Division) a few weeks earlier than commencement saying ‘We’re so sorry however the cash we thought we had for this place doesn’t exist any extra.’ And I’m watching all my associates making life choices and I used to be just about there with my butt flapping within the wind.”
Knigge had traveled so much and even had hung out residing Russia.
“And at that time I used to be a fairly good volleyball participant and I knew the chance existed to play skilled volleyball. I didn’t actually know what that seemed like.”
Knigge, who speaks Russian, had a robust first season at FC Schüttorf, the place lots of his teammates had been Polish.
He determined to play no less than yet one more 12 months, which led him to Spain.
“Yet another 12 months after which I’ll return and get a job,” he recalled pondering.
However in Spain he bought even higher and even compelled himself to study Spanish.
“And we had an unbelievable season,” he stated.
Which bought him a suggestion to play for Membership Voleibol Guaguas within the Canary Islands and he stayed three years.
This season, SVG Lüneburg bought into the Champions League and completed second within the CEV Cup. Knigge was certainly one of 4 Individuals on the workforce that included libero Gage Worsley (Hawai’i), center Blake Leeson (Ohio State) and out of doors Matt Slivinski (DIII Carthage).
“This 12 months enjoying Champions League was the primary time that I used to be making sufficient cash from volleyball and I used to be at a excessive sufficient degree the place the choice was now not that perhaps I’ll simply play yet one more 12 months,” Knigge stated and smiled.
“Now I play volleyball.”
