After a victorious season last fall, the girls volleyball team is set for success. With the dedication of the athletes and coaches, Reedy fans are looking forward to another similarly successful season.
“Our goal for this year is to be a playoff team and to have a successful and competitive postseason. We are working hard in the gym every day to make this happen,” assistant coach Bailey Walden said. “The staff sits down and evaluates what went well and what we can improve on after every game and implement it in practice.”
With the season already underway, players have had many games so far, but some stand out more than others.
“I think energy-wise the most exciting was Wakeland because there were a lot of people,” sophomore Bree Benningfield said. “But I think that, as a team, our game against Decatur was really exciting because they were a really good team, but we all played together and we won, and it was really fun.”
Although the Reedy volleyball program has a freshman team, a junior varsity team, and a varsity team—opening the opportunity to play competitively for all grades and skill levels—it is still a great accomplishment when a freshman makes the varsity team.
“It’s very surreal; like when I was in eighth grade, I thought, ‘Oh my god, I’m never gonna make varsity,’” freshman Camryn Corso said. “But then I actually did it. It was so crazy. Everyone’s really nice, and the team’s fun.”
Playing volleyball competitively, both in and out of school, can make balancing academics and a social life very difficult.
“I already know Fridays and Tuesdays are game days, so those days are volleyball,” sophomore Mariah Akinsola said. “So, I keep Mondays and Thursdays for studying and homework. I try to take Wednesdays as an off day; like if I want to go here or hang out with my friends. The weekends, I usually take for myself and my family.”
With the volleyball team practicing and spending so much time around each other, the relationships between players and coaches have grown tremendously.
“I love the relationships that I get to form with my athletes. I am also very competitive, so getting to work in an atmosphere that fosters that every day is amazing. I love the sport, and I enjoy getting to pour into athletes that I love as well,” assistant coach Walden said. “We not only get to focus on the joy of volleyball, but I get to help these girls grow off the court as well.”
