Sports

Girls JV Volleyball

Maya Gabrys, Staff Reporter • October 2, 2024

The picture above is the Girls JV Volleyball team (sophomore-junior). This picture was taken in the MAIN gym on Thursday, August 15th, 2024.

Meet the Team!

These girls on the JV volleyball team are an essential part of the school’s athletic community. It provides young athletes with the opportunity to develop their volleyball skills and experience. The team is a stepping stone for those aiming to join the varsity squad as they’re learning to understand advanced strategies. Beyond the court, the JV girls show their teamwork and leadership. The JV team is significant because these athletes represent our school with dedication.

Introduction

Girls JV Volleyball’s goal is to have fun and improve throughout the season. The JV team plays a role in the development of young athletes with recreational play and more competitive varsity level play. The JV volleyball team shows dedication as student-athletes but also have personal life goals. This article provides their thoughts on the team and why they want to continue succeeding. This group of girls care about teamwork, perseverance, and growth throughout the season and it shows while they are outside of school, in school, in practice, and on the court. This season, the girls are striving to win, so I interviewed 7 JV starter players and their coach for the inside scoop. Here are the following questions the athletes had to answer:

What do you think your team’s strength is?

What skills would you like to improve throughout the season?

What was your biggest challenge you faced in your volleyball career?

How would you describe the team dynamics?

What is your goal for this season?

Ashley Nettlehorst

What do you think your team’s strength is?

I think our team’s strength is our setter because our setter gets the ball in the right spot for our hitters.

What skills would you like to improve throughout the season?

Ashley has been playing volleyball since she was in 4th grade. Her position in volleyball is middle blocker and she’s the team’s captain.

I would like to improve my serves so that I can zone serve consistently.

What was your biggest challenge you faced in your volleyball career?

The biggest challenge I have faced in my volleyball career would be when I was in middle school we never won a game, so it was difficult to stay positive but I still tried.

How would you describe the team dynamics?

Our team dynamic is amazing; everyone is so positive and kind.

What is your goal for this season?

My goal for this season is to continue to hit consistently with both my right and left hands.

Ella Vargas

What do you think your team’s strength is?

I think the strength of our team is knowing we can have fun with the sport but at a level where we still are working on our skills as a team and using teamwork.

What skills would you like to improve throughout the season?

Ella has been playing volleyball for 4 years now. Her position in volleyball is a right side hitter and she has great hits.

The skill I would like to improve throughout my season is my passing

What was your biggest challenge you faced in your volleyball career?

The biggest challenge I have faced is the new competition on the JV team and having to clear your head of mistakes and keeping composure.

How would you describe the team dynamics?

The JV team is very close. We all get along and enjoy our time with each other. We are always telling jokes and making each other laugh but also know when to focus on improving our performance. We are all motivated.

What is your goal for this season?

My goal for this season is to continue these friendships with these girls and always play my best.

Jailani Rodriguez

What do you think your team’s strength is?

I think we all work well together and we take accountability for our mistakes.

What skills would you like to improve throughout the season?

Jailani’s position in volleyball is a middle blocker. She has been playing volleyball for 4 years.

I think we need to improve more on calling for the ball and calling our number if we want to hit.

What was your biggest challenge you faced in your volleyball career?

Having to work with people I’ve never worked with before and having to learn how to do the different approaches.

How would you describe the team dynamics?

I would say we have a really good team dynamic. We all get along really well and all are friends outside of volleyball. We always have a good time at practice.

What is your goal for this season?

My goal for this season is just to enjoy it with my team and get better on my different approaches and work on my serves.

Julia Kravchuk

What do you think your team’s strength is?

I think my team’s strength is when our team can make smart plays together.

What skills would you like to improve throughout the season?

Julia has been playing volleyball for 6 years. Her position in volleyball is libero.

I would like to improve my reaction time so I can get more balls up.

What was your biggest challenge you faced in your volleyball career?

The biggest challenge I faced was probably just being in my head about things and overthinking.

How would you describe the team dynamics?

Our team dynamic is good! We try to include everyone and always hype each other up after a good play.

What is your goal for this season?

My goal for this season is just to see improvement and be happy with myself.

Meredith Brayton

What do you think your team’s strength is?

One strength on the JV team is that everyone gets along so well. We have a good environment: always positive and loud.

What skills would you like to improve throughout the season?

Meredith has been playing volleyball since 4th grade. Her position in volleyball is setter and she is another captain of the team.

A skill to improve on is getting to every ball by learning to dive for everything instead of being scared.

What was your biggest challenge you faced in your volleyball career?

A challenge faced during volleyball was being scared to play on my hurt ankle. It took so long to feel comfortable again after injuring it.

How would you describe the team dynamics?

I would describe our team as supportive, fun, and hardworking. Everyone has and will continue to make mistakes, but as teammates we always pick each other up.

What is your goal for this season?

The personal goal this season is to have fun and make life-long memories with the team.

Mia Arreola

What do you think your team’s strength is?

I would say the team’s biggest strength is our humor; we always know how to make each other laugh in good or bad times, which I feel is a really good quality.

What skills would you like to improve throughout the season?

Mia has been playing volleyball for 2 years now: freshman year and sophomore year. Her position in volleyball is outside hitter that plays front and back row.

The skills I want to improve on the most are hitting and blocking. I feel that I have so much more potential when it comes to hitting and I plan to improve the most I can.

What was your biggest challenge you faced in your volleyball career?

My biggest challenge throughout my volleyball career was serving throughout my whole freshman year. I would get play time taken away just because I couldn’t trust my serve.

How would you describe the team dynamics?

I really do believe we have good team dynamics, even if the team has a little hiccup we figure it out. What team doesn’t have little hiccups? It’s part of being a family.

What is your goal for this season?

My goal for this season is to work and improve as much as I can so I can try out for varsity next year.

Valentyna Bodnar

What do you think your team’s strength is?

One of my team’s strengths is the way we get along. No one in the team is isolated from the rest.

What skills would you like to improve throughout the season?

Valentyna has been playing volleyball for about 5 years now. Her position in volleyball is an outside hitter and she is another one of the team’s captains.

I’d like to improve on my ball control this volleyball season.

What was your biggest challenge you faced in your volleyball career?

The biggest challenge I faced in my volleyball career was all of the mental blocks. It was difficult to improve with some bad coaches that didn’t support me and made me feel not worth anything in the past.

How would you describe the team dynamics?

I think our team dynamics are very good; we all get along and always have fun when we are around each other.

What is your goal for this season?

My goal for this season is not only to improve my skills but also to become friends with plenty of other people.

Coach Rubino

What do you think your team’s strength is?

Our team’s strength lies in our ability to communicate effectively and support each other on and off the court. We have a group of talented players who are committed to improving their skills and working together.

What skills would you like your players to improve throughout the season?

Coach Rubino is the coach for the JV girls volleyball team. She has been coaching volleyball for 4 years. Coach Rubino is also the Athletic Office Secretary.

I would like for players to focus on improving their hitting and defensive skills. The team can also work on their mental toughness and ability to stay focused under pressure.

What was your biggest challenge you faced in your volleyball career?

Staying focused. I have had some talented athletes the last 4 years I have coached. Keeping them focused is probably the biggest challenge.

How would you describe the team dynamics?

Like I said before, my team is supportive of each other on and off the court. We have a mix of sophomores and juniors who work well together and share a common goal to be successful. They keep each other positive and motivated.

What is your goal for this season?

We have a tough schedule this year with back to back games. Keeping the girls spirits up and just continuing to work on improving their skills each day.

Conclusion

After interviewing some of the players, it’s clear they all have some things in common: they all want to have fun and improve throughout this season. These players are dedicated and improve everyday. They all have this special bond that some teams don’t. I hope that they continue to do great this season. Come support them at their next game! Click here for the schedule!

Works Cited

Ashley, Nettlehorst. Personal Interview. September 8, 2024
Ella, Vargas. Personal Interview. September 9, 2024
Jailani, Rodriguez. Personal Interview. September 6, 2024
Julia, Kravchuk. Personal Interview. September 6, 2024
Mia, Arreola. Personal Interview. September 9, 2024
Meredith, Brayton. Personal Interview. September 7, 2024
Valentyna, Bodnar. Personal Interview. September 9, 2024

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About the Contributor

Maya Gabrys, Staff Reporter

My name is Maya Gabrys and I’m a freshman at Elmwood Park High School. Outside of Intro to Journalism, I like to hangout with my friends and family and play volleyball. I'm on the EPHS volleyball team and also play club. In addition, I am involved in Snowball, Student Council, and DECA. For my future, I want to go to college and dental school. What matters the most to me in my life is succeeding and just to be happy.