Cincinnati Attack was founded in 1998 as a small startup with just a few high school boys volleyball teams. The club practiced in whatever gym had space to rent in and around the city. Over the past 25 seasons, Cincinnati Attack has grown into a 22-team boys volleyball club that practices at a facility located in North College Hill, Ohio that all of its teams call home. Teams compete from 11U through 18U featuring 231 athletes, representing students from 67 schools, that are not only from in and around Cincinnati, but also from the other two states, Kentucky and Indiana, that make up the tri-state area.
In the state of Ohio, clubs are limited to having three players from the same high school team compete on the same club team. This can certainly make it harder to compete nationally against clubs in states without that same rule, which makes it critical that Cincinnati Attack draws athletes from many different schools.
Max Holt, three-time Olympian for Team USA, visits Cincinnati Attack where he played junior volleyball
Over the years, Cincinnati Attack has had the privilege to help guide a three-time Olympic volleyball medalist, multiple NCAA National Champions, several professional volleyball players, and countless collegiate volleyball players. In addition, the club has enjoyed a great deal of success nationally, including a 5th place finish at the 2024 AAU Nationals in 18 Open by the 18 Black team. Currently, there are 36 former Cincinnati Attack players competing collegiately at the NCAA or NAIA level, representing 19 different colleges.
“More important than our on-court success, however, is the emphasis we place on creating excellent young men that will become great fathers, husbands, and whatever else they aspire to be in life,” said Co-Director Joe Bianco. “As we recognize that many of our athletes will not make volleyball a career, we foster a culture that emphasizes hard work and accountability to yourself, your teammates and your coaches.
Cincinnati Attack is led by Co-Directors Joe Bianco and Chris Morman, each of whom have been dedicated to coaching boys’ volleyball and developing athletes in Cincinnati for more than two decades. Katy Samuels is the phenomenal club administrator and quite frankly, the engine that makes the car run. Bryan Scheck is the incredibly talented social media director that helps promote and celebrate their athletes and coaches and keeps the world apprised of what’s going on with the club.
Growing Boys Volleyball
The club’s leadership take pride in helping grow the sport of boys’ volleyball in the tri-state area and believe that growth starts with the grade schools. Cincinnati Attack hosted an East vs. West grade school volleyball tournament for the past few years at their facility where teams from the east side of Cincinnati compete against those from the west side of town to see who gets bragging rights for the next year. This year’s event featured 16 seventh and eighth grade teams and 11 fifth and sixth grade teams, allowing several of their grade school Attack teammates to compete against each other while wearing their school colors.
Cincinnati Attack donates baskets to local schools’ fundraisers each year, featuring Attack gear and merchandise along with gift certificates for free clinics and discounted club dues.
Club Philosophy and Culture
The Cincinnati Attack staff takes great pride in the family culture they have built as a club. Former players want to come back and coach. They come back, as do their parents, to watch future club teams compete. The families love to hang out together from across teams and across schools and even get together and often tailgate with one another during school season. Chris and Joe strongly believe that their athletes benefit from who they play for, who they play with, and who they play against. They are incredibly proud of the coaches their players have the benefit of learning from, which includes a total of 43 coaches and staff members.
“Perhaps we are a little biased, but we firmly believe that we have the best coaches out there!” added Bianco.
Secondly, the Cincinnati Attack players get better because of both who they play with and who they play against. Joe and Chris believe in and foster strong cross-pollination among the athletes in a practice and competition setting. Teams practice with and against other teams, which elicits strong competition and allows their players to be coached by coaches other than their own at times. This allows them to hear different voices to gain a different perspective.
Further, the club leaders are big believers in transparency and eye contact. Directors and coaches are encouraged to be direct and transparent when communicating. Help players understand “why” when it makes sense to do so. Let them know what their role is and don’t be afraid to provide feedback.
“As coaches, we constantly encourage and praise our kids, but it is also our job to help players understand what they can do better to be more successful. We are big believers in communicating with your teammates and coaches. Look each other in the eye if there’s anything that needs to be said. No rolling your eyes or talking behind each other’s backs. Team chemistry and collaborative culture is crucial on a volleyball court, in a classroom, or in the workplace,” explained Bianco.
All Cincinnati Attack teams play an event schedule designed to stretch them a little. This includes the national lite teams that compete in the Midwest Boys Point Series to the top national high school teams that travel across the country to compete against the country’s best teams.
What’s Next?
As the club plans for the future, Chris and Joe intend to continue improving the club’s offerings and investing more and more into their coaches and athletes, to ultimately help create great young men. They want to continue developing their athletes and exposing more boys to the sport of volleyball starting in grade school. “The earlier athletes can be exposed to the sport, the better.”
Attack has partnered with The Academy Volleyball Club and Louisville Fury for the past several years to run the Midwest Boys Point Series (MBPS). This series has grown considerably in number of teams, playing sites, geographical reach and level of competition. The series has taken place in recent years in Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and the third stop has been split between Nashville and Milwaukee. This past year featured over 600 teams from as far south as Atlanta, west to St. Louis, north to Milwaukee and northeast to New York. Next year’s MBPS schedule includes stops in Nashville on November 22-23, 2025, Cincinnati on January 10-11, 2026, and Indianapolis on February 14-15, 2026.
Cincinnati Attack (Cincinnati, Ohio) is a member of the Junior Volleyball Association, an organization committed to enhancing the junior volleyball experience for club directors, coaches, players, and fans.
View more about joining the JVA. View more about starting a boys volleyball point series. View more about JVA Awards. Nominate your club for JVA Club of the Month.
