As we know, the boys volleyball season has begun. That being said, many of these players have set goals for both themselves and the team to become better athletes and teammates.
“Goals [set] for the team are, hopefully, to return back to championships. Although we’re in a higher division, I feel like we could still achieve that goal,” Bryant Gonzalez, a senior, said. Gonzalez has shared that they can accomplish these goals with the strengths he believes the team has.
He believes communication is their strongest aspect. “Communication [with] each other. Sometimes we argue and tell [other players] what needs to be fixed, but [at] the end [of the day], we know it’s the best for everybody [to accomplish] our goals,” Gonzales said. Other players believe they have a lot to work on.
“You know what, it’s a work in progress right now to be honest; I [don’t] really see a lot of strengths,” Anthony Juarez, a senior, said. Because of this, it has opened up for players to feel stronger emotions and act accordingly.
“I get mad very easily. I get very frustrated and I don’t like to lose, so it makes me mad,” Juarez said. With similar feelings, Gonzalez shares what he thinks. “I think I can improve my temperament, because I sometimes get frustrated when something wrong happens. Under stressful situations, I tend to lose it.”
With this, the coaches work to better the players in every aspect. “I would describe the coach’s style of coaching as positive and patient. When you make a mistake, they teach or show you how to fix that mistake to help you avoid making that mistake again. They don’t immediately take you out after one mistake. They help you learn from it to improve as a player,” Uzziel Cruz, a sophomore, said. Players believe they’ve been a great help to the team.
“I’ve had three different coaches, and I feel like this coach is one of the best coaches I’ve had. He knows how to lead the group, he yells at us occasionally, but we know it’s because he wants us to improve. He gives us criticism, and it’s good criticism so it helps us improve as a whole,” Gonzalez said. Players find this sport as a relief from everything else.
“Volleyball influenced my life by being a form of stress relief. When I play volleyball, I don’t have to worry about solving a math equation or how chemical bonds work. It helps me to take my mind off of school,” Cruz said. In addition to this, it has helped some overcome difficult challenges. “I was going through a really hard time in life, and then I joined volleyball and it was one of my favorite sports,” Gonzalez said. That being said, players also believe volleyball teaches a great variety of different skills.
“I think it’s a good opportunity to learn some skills and you can learn leadership skills and teamwork. Playing a sport is very stressful so it helps with managing emotions better. It teaches you discipline, you know, you’re learning a skill,” Juarez said. Similarly, Cruz believes it helps in the teamwork aspect.
“Being on the volleyball team is a good opportunity for me because it helps me build new relationships with people and understand how important it is to work with others,” Cruz said. In addition to teamwork, Gonzalez shares how it helps with communication.
“It helps me communicate with my teammates and others. [And really] have good sportsmanship and overall just have a good time,” Gonzalez said. These players have shared that volleyball has helped them become better teammates off the court too.
“My worst performance [was] on the first day of practice coming back senior year. I got injured the first day and I was out till like last week. That was my worst experience because I saw my teammates losing and I wasn’t able to do anything to help them. I learned that even though I can’t help on the court, I could help them out off the court by giving them [constructive] criticism,” Gonzalez said. Players say this also helps in the aspect of learning from your mistakes.
“My worst performance was in a recent game. My sets were off; I was letting the ball fall and my serves were too short. I learned from this experience that I wasn’t aggressive enough. I needed to be more awake moving forward and acknowledge my errors to avoid making them again,” Cruz said.