It’s that time of year again, VOLLEYBALL SEASON. This is the program’s second year under Coach Battin’s coaching and her staff. The players on all levels are excited to return to the court.
This is Estella’s second season at Rocky, and she is playing JV this year. She thinks this will be a year where “We find out a lot about the way we communicate with each other.” She is excited to see everyone work together, and get better as a team. This is also Ella Dejonge’s second season playing for Rocky. She is very excited for this season, and to see how the program works together.
To go along with that, Ella Dejonghe, and Estella Gordon are both on JV, but Ella states her thoughts about being on JV compared to freshman year, explaining, “It’s definitely exciting like having the opportunity, but it’s also kinda scary because it’s girls I don’t know, and that I haven’t played with, and almost like pressure to do good, but it’s also a good thing.” As they get older, things become more challenging and more competitive, but they adjust very well to the changes and challenges.
As the new season approaches, teams will make goals for themselves to achieve over the season, and players will make personal goals, as well. Estella states her goals are, “Personally, just communicating more effectively and smart at playing, so working on more technical stuff, like reading the ball and reading the hitters. As a team, I would definitely say is, obviously, communicating more, but feeling comfortable with each other on the court and trusting each other off the court.” Working together and communicating as a team is very big in volleyball, and what helps with that is many of these girls on the volleyball team have been playing with each other since 5th grade.
The strength of this team has a lot to do with their history with each other, throughout the years they’ve played together. Ella shares who got her into volleyball, stating, “My mom. She really wanted me to play, and I tried it, and ended up liking it.” She also shares how she feels about sticking with volleyball, stating, “I think it helped me make new friends, and come together with girls.” Joining a sport and sticking with volleyball can bring meeting all new people and make friends, and end up playing with those girls, as well as getting older.
Not only are the girls focused on volleyball right now, but they also understand they must balance their sport with their studies. Being a student athlete can be different for everyone. Ella Dejonghe, and Estella Gordon are just now starting the volleyball season right now, which means time management, and having to work around schedules. Ella says, “It’s definitely sometimes difficult, but definitely a lot of late nights with homework, and staying up, and just making sure I have everything done I need to.” Everyone handles their school work differently, and some play other sports, as well, not just volleyball. Stella states, “For me, personally, school doesn’t come too hard for me. And, I think I’m a very organized person. So, it honestly doesn’t affect me that much, and I think volleyball pushes me to be a better student, and makes me want to come to school every day.” Being a student athlete is great. It shows how athletes can manage their time.
The team is excited for the new volleyball season. Girls on all levels are ready to start. They all worked very hard on the off season to bring in their hard work into the new season.
