UMass: Why not?

In our continuing survey of universities that do not offer women's volleyball, today we look at...UMass!

In an interesting twist, UMass used to have women's volleyball, but then canceled the program after the 2001 season. Why?

Cash. (Probably because the men's basketball program couldn't capitalize on the success of Marcus Camby before he disappeared into the NBA, but that's neither here nor there.) Also cut in The Great Slash of 2001 were men's and women's water polo, men's and women's gymnastics, men's tennis and men's indoor track.

Now, we can understand water polo, because, c'mon, that's not really a sport. But according to a UMass Daily Collegian article, there were reasons given for the forcible removal of the programs:

Explanations for the team's being eliminated ranged from cost with Men's Indoor Track and Field, to few successful seasons with Women's Volleyball, to a lack of general interest in Men's and Women's Water polo.

Ouch. "Lack of general interest." Oh, and the volleyball part was harsh, too. It's hard to find out exactly what "few successful seasons" means exactly because I can't find an overall record for former head coach Bonnie Kenny. But she did have three 20-win seasons, so things couldn't have been that bad.

Besides, the freakin' Volleyball Hall of Fame is in Springfield, just down the road from Amherst. You know Springfield; It's where our sport was created. That's all.

So what does UMass offer? Basketball, cross country, field hockey, skiing, soccer...SKIING? There was a "lack of general interest" for water polo, but skiing is setting the campus on fire? You have GOT to be kidding me. No wonder UMass got rid of volleyball: They're obviously ruled by an Austro-Swiss conglomerate, slowly poisoning the minds of America's youth with the lure of outdoor winter sports. Someone call Bob.