As the new season rolls around, boys’ volleyball already has expectations to fulfill right away and tough matches ahead.
“We expect to be the best this year and go the farthest,” Austin Keller, senior middle hitter, said. “It will definitely be a challenge, but our team is closer knit. Vernon Hills and Buffalo Grove are our biggest rivals, but we are evenly matched with them now compared to in the past. We have a group of seniors who have been together since freshmen year and have developed together.”
Along with the team’s expectations, the seniors on the team have their own responsibilities to fulfill.
“The seniors are close, but like any other team, you have to rebuild that cohesion during a match,” Paul Lee, senior setter, said. “We have figure out the way we play without players from last year. Our year is definitely the most motivated in terms of playing and going far. As for me personally, I want to play my best year because I am not sure if I will continue to play club volleyball in college.”
With a solid group of seniors, the team will have to work with incorporating the underclassmen.
“We have six seniors who have been playing since freshman year. Then there are three to four juniors and a couple sophomores,” Keller said. “We will have to help the underclassmen develop this year as well because we want the program to continue improving when we leave.”
Along with the challenges ahead, the team wants to avoid the amount of injuries they had last year.
“Last year we had a ton of injuries,” Lee said. “It was from the constant, fast, repetitive motions in the game. Players hurt their backs, hands, and wrists. Although the injuries weren’t that drastic, this year we want to do anything to have a healthier team.”