Teamwork. Communication. Energy. Spirit – Four words critical to volleyball. People are not fully educated on all that goes on inside the world of volleyball. Dedicated, competitive volleyball players expand on what volleyball is truly about. Player’s go in depth about this world. It’s not all about the “Pass,set, hit”.
“Volleyball is definitely a team sport. You can have the best players in the world but if they don’t play as a team then it means nothing,” Olathe Northwest freshman Abby Oschner said. “The most important aspect of volleyball is the team as a whole.”
Nikki Seurer, a freshman from Blue Valley West agrees with Oschner and said that you have to work together as a team in order to win. Also communication is a big deal in volleyball. If players do not communicate with their teammates, it will end badly and could result in injury or a bad play. Oschner said that communication is the biggest thing her team needs to work on because many times people run into each other and no one talks. Talking is crucial in volleyball and is encouraged.
“Energy is very important because if you don’t have energy then you won’t play as well” said Seurer.
If players have energy and spirit, then they play a lot better. Volleyball can be a mental sport as well as a physical sport. If they are happy and loud, they have motivation and they try harder. If they are down and sad, then they don’t feel like it is worth it and they don’t try. This was clearly stated by South KC Juniors club volleyball coach Alyssa Rhodes.
Blue Valley Southwest freshman Hanna Festa said that she likes volleyball because it is a team sport, something is always happening and there is never a dull moment when you’re playing.
South KC Juniors is a silver level club team that has three teams for the freshman grade level. Most of the players all know each other, and have grown up playing together or go to the same school. This is not normal for a club level team but is one of the many things that makes South KC Juniors different from other clubs. Oschner, Seurer, Penichet, Hast and Festa all play for this club. Penichet said that she is very excited for the club season because the competition level between the three teams are more competitive than ever and all of the teams are equally distributed making everyone want to play better and above the other teams.
In club volleyball, the teams are ranked in order of skill, the “1” team being the best. South KC Juniors has a set “1”,”2”, and “3” team but this year the skill level is the same. The “3” team, has beaten both the “1” and “2” team at some point this season. The “2” team has beaten both the “1” and “3” team too. Also the “1” team has played in sophomore tournaments and higher level tournaments and has won in those.
This shows the constant change in who is “on top”. The “1” team has always excelled and last year they won almost every tournament and were the better team by far. The “2” team was okay and normally placed 5th and then the “3” team would place around 8th. This season it has all completely changed making everyone almost the same playing level. The players have responded to this by being more competitive and having more drive than ever. The parents expressed how much more motivated they are to beat one another.
“Everyone has improved so much in our time off season and I am excited to see what we can do. I have a really good feeling about our tournaments and for the first time I feel like we are pulling it together as a team. I think that there are people who have really stepped up and are great role models for our team.” said Oschner, who plays on the 2 team.
Having a good coach is a big factor in volleyball as it is in any sport. Last year the 2 team did not have a great experience with their coach. She made them run sprints after losing in the championship game against the 1 team. They had a lot of issues with her and she ended up getting fired in the middle of the season. Festa said that last year her coach had bad sportsmanship and was a sore loser.
“My coach this year is the best coach I’ve ever had in my club volleyball experience. People say that the best
coaches make the best players and that is exactly how my coach is. I think her experience as a great setter gives her more of an understanding of where we are coming from and she can relate perfectly to our struggles and how to make us better,”said Blue Valley Southwest freshman Lexie Penichet.
Volleyball is very competitive and people do not realize how much different it is than any other sport. This is volleyball: Revealed.