"But little by little he dropped one sport at a time to focus on volleyball," Bruce Kordick said. "I think after the 1984 Olympics when the U.S. men won the gold medal, it really changed the perception."

Despite the fact that he didn't set out to earn a scholarship in athletics, Dylan Kordick will play volleyball for Stanford next year.

"He just wanted to play the sport he enjoyed," his dad said. And unlike his dad, Dylan grew up in Southern California and attended a school known for its volleyball programs.

Spencer Hill did not have that advantage.

The Illinois teen played basketball until his senior year when a club volleyball coach talked him into committing to the sport.

"My coach gave me the club info and I decided this year I wanted to get a scholarship," he said. Hill will play for Fontbonne University in St. Louis.

"It's really not very popular in my high school," he said. "That's why I came to club. It's more competitive. ... Although I think it's getting more popular. We just got a middle school team for boys last year for the first time."

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E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com