By Nathan Park
[email protected]
The girls Blue volleyball team recently welcomed their new Head Coach Jeff Schrock. Since their first practice on Aug. 2,Schrock has worked on building the team’s skills from scratch.
“Since we are a new team he makes us work on everything. He makes sure that we know all our positions and what to do on the court,” explained team member Senior Sierra Carlos.
During practices, Schrock makes sure that each player is proficient in the basics of volleyball like serving and passing. When giving instruction, he tries to make it easy to follow. “What I like about his style is that he breaks down the fundamentals of the game and makes sure that each girl gets taught the proper skills for volleyball,” explained girls Varsity volleyball coach Piimauna Gora.
Schrock also emphasized the importance of teamwork by having his team do different icebreakers. “We did an exercise where we had them write their name and number and each player puts down a positive comment about the player on paper plates and they pass them around to be reminded how important they are to the team,” explained Schrock.
Other than improving the team’s skills, he has also been working on the mentality of the players. “I learned to adjust to everything that happens, because volleyball is an unexpecting game and what ever happens you have to deal with it and pull through,” said Carlos.
After their preseason games, Schrock hopes improve to their defensive and offensive strategies. While preparing for their first season game on Aug. 29, the team tried out different play formations. “(We were) trying to get everybody involved and not be too predictable on offense. I think we really have a good base right now and we can build upon that. I know we are a very defensive team and we can keep a rally going pretty well,” he explained.
As the season goes on Schrock looks forward to building and improving the team. “We got a great group of young ladies that are willing to work hard … I’m looking forward to a great season; I think we’ll do well,” he said.
As the team progresses, they hope to improve their skills as well as become closer friends.
