2013 was a much more interesting year in the sport of volleyball than most had anticipated. With the national teams beginning anew with young talent, the men's and women's NCAA indoor and sand tournaments holding surprises and beach volleyball coming back in earnest, there has been a lot for volleyball fans to watch and look forward to. Here are the lesser known news stories that took some of our attention this year as well.

1. Volleyball Player's Murder Could Lead to New Cell Phone Legislation

Former St. Louis University volleyball player Megan Boken, 23, was killed in her car last August by a teenager who was attempting to rob her of her cell phone, among other things. Now, Boken's parents want to prevent other such tragedies by changing the way cell phone operate.More »

2. Poll: Should Academics Trump Championships

Alright, time to weigh in on another volleyball controversy. It seems that a freshman volleyball player at East Central College in Missouri is between a rock and a hard place. Hannah Leslie earned a scholarship to the school and helped her team earn a berth in the playoffs.More »

3. War-Torn Afghanistan Takes On Beach Volleyball

It's not easy to build a beach volleyball program in a country ravaged by war. But that is exactly what Yunus Popalzay of the country's volleyball federation is trying to do. Convinced that beach volleyball could be a very popular sport if given the chance, Popalzay is trying to field a few men's teams and find sponsorships so that he can train players and enter them in international competitions.More »

4. USA Men's Team OH Brad Lawson Sings Jason Mraz Cover

We know that our national team members are talented. But a few of them have talent that extends beyond their prowess on the volleyball court. You may have seen former Stanford volleyball player Brad Lawson sing the national anthem before a few of the U.S. men's matches. Or you may have caught his stirring rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" at the funeral of one of Stanford's beloved assistant coaches.More »

5. High School VB Decision-Making Takes Turn for the Absurd

Last week there were two examples of leadership gone wrong in the world of high school volleyball. Adults in charge don't always make the right decisions for students, but sometimes those decisions go way beyond incorrect and enter into the land of the absurd.More »

6. Pacific Officially Drops Men's Volleyball

It's been known for weeks that the University of the Pacific was putting men's volleyball on the chopping block. But word officially came down this week that the program will be cut. The team will be allowed to compete this season, but the 20-year-old program will officially end in June of next year.More »

7. FIVB: Cancellation of Uganda Event is Third of Season

Though the 2013 international beach volleyball schedule looked much more diverse at the season's start than usual, it seems that the expansion the FIVB was hoping for has not quite gone as planned. The first ever East African FIVB event was set to begin yesterday in Kampala, Uganda. But the event has quietly been taken off of the schedule and some in Africa are still waiting for an explanation.More »

8. Dave Shoji is Winningest Coach in Women's Volleyball

Women's volleyball has a brand new winningest coach. Hawaii's Dave Shoji won his 1,107th match on Friday, beating Santa Clara in four sets to break the tie with retired UCLA coach Andy Banachowski.You'd think that after 1100+ wins that nothing could rattle the veteran coach. But in post-match interviews, Shoji admitted to being nervous and distracted by all the hoopla surrounding the record.More »