The girls’ volleyball season kicked off at the start of the summer with harsh, but exciting offseason training, focusing on discipline and preparation for the months ahead. This year, the team is working with fewer seniors but a strong group of incoming freshmen that are ready to make a huge impact! After finishing last season with a 4-24 record, the girls’ team has already shown improvement, standing at 4-13 early in the season. The volleyball team is also facing tons of challenges that are making them doubt their sports skills, which therefore, affects their mentalities. Due to college commits from West High School and other high schools the team starts doubting themselves even more, and starts playing with small fire.

Distinctly, our boys’ volleyball team has doubted themselves for some time, but learned how to control their emotions and play the game cleverly and strategically. The boys’ season doesn’t start until February, but from last year’s season they have improved a lot as a team, as brothers. After finishing last season with a 14-14 record, the boys have stated that they had a better season last year than the year before. This was the boys’ first volleyball season in high school. The boys are also looking forward to their next season, next spring, to go all out and beat their last year ‘s record. 

Although both girls and boys face the same problem, sleep and school. Sleep is a crucial part of a teenager’s life; they need 9-91/2  hours of sleep to fully recover from the last day. School is also a key factor for teenagers because they can get their high school diplomas, and go to their dream colleges or a college to get a degree in music, sports medicine, engineering, etc.

Senior Sterling Swayse (Sway-zee), stated in a recent interview about sleep and said how he really doesn’t get that much sleep. He also stated that his mental health is pretty good during the volleyball season. He then went on saying how his wins do keep him going, and his losses do not keep him going. Sterling has also been playing the game ever since the first year of boys’ volleyball, and how he has physically and mentally improved his skills. He said, “I think I have a better mindset, and I’m trying to improve more than I am just winning”. Sterling is a great example to other volleyball players to show that you don’t need to hold onto your mistakes in that one game that you lost, but instead look forward to the next game and keep yourself motivated with your wins.

Although Swayse does play for the boys’ team. How does a girl cope with her losses and wins? Are they similar to one another or completely different?

Sophomore Kobi Laupepa has faced mild injuries to her ankle, which caused her to feel doubt and fear in a game. She stated, “I didn’t want to practice. I didn’t want to play. And then I couldn’t.” Sometimes a player can start gaining feelings of discomfort, doubt, and anxiety due to an injury or loss. Laupepa also started talking about how their losses affect her and her team. She said, “We’ve lost so much that it gets to you. And like, you just think, like, you’re not, you’re not good. And our wins. We barely have an,y so they don’t really motivate me at all.” She has shown us that she’s accepted her losses as mistakes and that sometimes it’s hard to move on. Laupepa is a great example for volleyball players because it shows that some players are more vulnerable than others, and that’s ok. Because differences balance out the positives and negatives.

So to answer our two questions right above Laupepa’s statements, we can see that a boy and a girl cope with their losses differently, especially their wins. But not only do boys and girls cope this way, both genders can feel the same things as well. Especially team managers.

Sophomore Luis Zamora, team manager, has faced accusations from the girls about the way he helps them. He stated, “Sometimes I think some players get annoyed with the way I do stuff, and it does bother me that they get annoyed by that, but for the most part, I’m always trying my best to help them out.” Although a team manager is treated as a player on the team, and do some stuff similar to the players. He or she can also face rude and unnecessary comments from the team. This affects their mood and skills to help them out. Zamora also stated about how he sees the girls’ mentality and physicality, he stated, “for the most part, I can see sometimes that on a lot of players’ faces that they’re just like in their head and stuff. Physically, I think we’re doing the best we can right now. Sometimes I feel like more hustle could be necessary.” Zamora made other good pointers about how the team should improve the way they communicate with each other and to keep spirits up during their games. Zamora is another good example for volleyball players because of how dedicated and positive he is about the team, and even though he faces rude comments or stares. He keeps going and tries his best to help them out.

Now, what about players who were kicked off the team due to financial reasons and grades? There are tons of those players who could have a damaged ego or think they just weren’t as good. 

Senior Siope Wolfgramm has matured and given great feedback about what he’s been doing ever since being kicked off the volleyball team. He stated “I don’t really feel bad about it because it was my fault.” Which is a great factor of a mature man. He then stated, “I’ve been getting my grades up so I can get on the team this year.” Because he is on the football team, it shows how dedicated he is to sports. Wolfgramm is a great example for ex-players; he has shown us that with hard work and dedication, to get to where you want. So I am certain he’ll make the team and bring the positivity back to the team that missed out on it last school year.

In conclusion, each player has given us great morals about mentality during their volleyball seasons. They have shown us to keep going, be different, be positive, and be dedicated to getting your spot back. The volleyball teams have also grown closer together and do bring each other up, on occasion. The volleyball team should also talk to their coaches about how they could help them, but that’s for another article. Hopefully, or for now,  in the future, the team should work more on their communication skills so they can get a ball up.