Girls’ Volleyball starts off the season strong
The ball whistles through the air as it smashes into the ground on the other side of the net. The crowd goes wild, teammates rush to congratulate each other on earning the point. Winning set after set, this years girls’ volleyball team hopes to reach new levels of success on and off the court this year.
As of Oct. 5, the varsity team is 3-5 in league and 6-12 overall. They hope to use this momentum to push themselves as far into CIF as possible.
Olivia Coronado, junior, is playing her first year on varsity and enjoys the atmosphere of the team this year. “It’s a lot more competitive, passes are harder and games are longer. Coaches and girls play more seriously. It’s totally different than the games we played on JV and Frosh,” Coronado said.
Kenzie Hebert, junior, is also currently playing her first year on varsity. “We’re doing pretty well, we are second in league right now. We have a lot to improve on but I think it’s all going to come together,” Hebert said.
Under a relatively new coaching staff leading the program, the girls on the team have both individual and team goals going into season.
“We want to push ourselves harder so we can keep our place in league. By being better teammates to each other we can push ourselves farther into CIF. All the girls on the team are supportive of each other. That is really nice and that keeps us together. We support each other on and off the court,” Coronado said.
Teamwork was emphasized by head coach, Chris Forrest, who joined the program two years ago to help establish the girls’ volleyball team at Newbury Park.
“A lot of what I have been trying to do is getting the team to understand what it is to be a good teammate, what it is to be selfless, what is to have good character, to have integrity for the game, having respect for your teammates, opponents, coaches, referees,” Forrest said, “and building fundamental skills along with having a system in place regarding how we play volleyball- and sticking to it- and making it as fun as possible.”
Forrest has one main goal for the season, and it’s not the generic “win league”.
We aren’t focusing as much on winning and more on what we do as a team and the process. I want the girls to understand that winning becomes a byproduct of that,” Forrest said. “I reinforce to the girls a lot, it’s not whether you win or lose all the time but it’s how you play the game.”
His mindset has carried over to the members of the varsity program and they share his views on teamwork.
“We want to work together better, have a lot of fun on the court, as much as we do of the court. Our team chemistry is not where exactly where we want it, but if we keep it up I think we will get there,” Hebert said.
Forrest is happy with the team’s progress this year and looks forward to see what happens as their season continues.
“The team has definitely had its ups and downs but for the most part I am happy with where they are now and the things we have accomplished and the teams we have beat,” Forrest said. “We’ve come back from behind multiple times to beat teams, which shows a lot of heart, shows a lot of effort and commitment to the team and trust in each other, which is exactly what I’m trying to build.”
