This middle blocker
is really into the Net

The idea came to him last year when he was shopping for volleyball equipment on the Internet. Little by little, he came across sites that offered what he was looking for, but it was time consuming, since the volleyball stuff was usually buried deep in the "other sports" directory.

When his busy schedule allows, Breuer puts in as much as a couple of hours a day working on volleyballcommunity, which has been online since the beginning of the year but is still very much a work in progress.

"I was hesitant to get the word out because there is still a lot to do to improve the site," he says. "But the backbone of it is the price comparison engine, and that runs pretty smoothly."

Breuer, a graduate student who is in his final year of eligibility, says he isn't making money off the site, and NCAA rules don't allow him to endorse a business. But eventually, he plans to establish partnerships with other volleyball sites, so their visitors can link from his site.

Longterm, he hopes this could provide him with an even bigger business opportunity after graduation and launch him full time into the Internet business.

"If this site works out for volleyball, there is an almost unlimited number of other sports out there for which there is a void," he says.

"Specialization can be a huge advantage, but most shopping sites want it all."