BUTLER TWP — Butler High School girls volleyball coach Meghan Lucas recalled the status of spring and summer club teams when she was in school.

“When I played, there was one club team throughout all of Western Pennsylvania,” she said. “The opportunities to play just weren't that available.”

They're available now.

And girls — and boys — are taking advantage of them.

Lucas, Heidi Miller of North Allegheny, Mike Hogan of Northern Cambria and Dan Labonte of Chambersburg run the Revolution club volleyball program, which practices three days a week in Monroeville.

“We have one team for every age from 13 to 18,” Lucas said. “We've got 70 to 80 kids in the program.

“Most of our players are from the WPIAL, though we've gotten a couple from State College, Northern Cambria and West Virginia who make that long drive to participate.”

Lucas' daughter, Maria, played on the Revolution 18-year-old team that finished first out of 56 teams at the national tournament in Orlando, Fla., recently. A second daughter, Sophia, an incoming junior at Butler, played on Revolution's 16-year-old team that placed fifth out of 115 teams at nationals.

Ava Carney of Butler played on Revolution's 14-year-old team. Taylor Welter, who will be a sophomore at Butler this fall, played on the Pitt Elite 15-year-old club team.

Two incoming Butler juniors — Kaleb Wojnar and Carson Stein — played for the Pittsburgh Volleyball Club (PVC) this season. Their team placed fifth out of 76 teams at the national tournament in Dallas, Texas.

“There are exceptions, of course, but most volleyball players who go on to play in college play club as well as high school now,” Coach Lucas said.

“There's such a wide spectrum of club teams available to kids now. Anyone who wants to play club can play. And if a kid really wants to play college volleyball, there is somewhere they can play.”

Maria Lucas is headed to Shippensburg University next month and will play for the Red Raiders. She met her soon-to-be college roommate, Shaler graduate Oyinda Agbale, through Revolution club volleyball.

“We have kids on our team headed to the University of Buffalo, East Stroudsburg, Kent State ... The talent level in club gives you a totally different perspective on the sport,” Maria said.

“At nationals, we played teams from Michigan, Tennessee, Texas ... Teams from different regions play the game differently. Some emphasize defense, some are more aggressive, some move around more. You experience more different styles of play.”

Sophia Lucas is entering her junior year at Butler and is being recruited by colleges.

“The coaching at the club level is fabulous,” she said. “We make mistakes, they help us fix it. And the games are much more competitive.

“It was awkward, at first, because most of the girls on the team are from North Allegheny. They're our rivals in high school, but on this team, we grew close and became like sisters.”

Welter's Pitt Elite team went 5-5 at nationals. She was the only girl from Butler on her team.

“It's just more time playing the game, learning from different players and coaches,” Welter said. “You come together and figure out how to win.

“The best thing about club volleyball is improving your skills.”

Coach Lucas agreed.

“Every time you touch a ball, you get better,” she said. “You become a little bit of a better player than you were before.”

Stein completed his second year with PVC. He talked Wojnar into joining the squad this year.

“I'm a setter and it was incredible being on the court with so much talent,” Wojnar said. “I know we picked up some things we can bring back to Butler.

“I'll definitely come back and play with these guys again. It's such a high level. You just naturally improve.”

Stein and Wojnar were the only Butler players on the court with numerous North Allegheny kids.

“It was kind of weird at first, but you meld as a team,” Stein said. “It's like, you're from NA, I'm not supposed to like you, but you start hanging out, become friends, have sleep-overs, it just all works out.

“I play club to improve my skills and get a different perspective on the game while meeting new people. It's all good.”