• Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

The Official Student Paper of Riverside Poly High School

Served Up and Spiked Down

Apr 22, 2015

ADVERSITY: Boys’ volleyball struggles through their first season.

By Kayla Iles, Staff Writer

The newest addition to Poly’s athletic family, boys’ volleyball, is struggling to compete on the court with other schools in the area. The team’s record this season is 1- 15. Although the team isn’t as successful as it hoped it would be, “[it is] only a first year program and has a lot of potential,” Co-Captain Jacob Cockerham (11) expressed.

The coaching staff includes Coach Allan Comerford and Coach Melena Calhoun; together they have taught the rules and skills of the game to the boys. “They connect with each and every one of us on a personal level (…) and have made all the difference in helping us learn the game,” Tristan Martinez (11) expressed.

There are only a handful of schools in the Inland Empire that have a boys’ volleyball team, leaving Poly inexperienced amongst established teams. This season, the varsity team has played against Corona High, La Sierra High, Centennial High, San Gorgonio High, Redlands High, Citrus Valley High, Eisenhower High and Yucaipa High.

Practice-wise, “the guys have fun” because they feel it is “one of the most important keys to being a great team,” Cockerham stated. Practice is essential for growing so that the team may develop skills and unite on the court. Of the group, “only two of the players had previous experience (…) however, [the boys] work as a team and the improvement shows day by day,” Martinez stated. The camaraderie between the boys helps contribute to their competitiveness and also helps the team “prepare both mentally and physically for games,” Cockerham said.

Although this year hasn’t been very successful, the program will hopefully grow and flourish in the years to come. Because the team consists of many juniors and sophomores, the same group of boys will have the opportunity to play and improve together in preparation for next season. “We are growing our talent very fast, and I see us doing great things next year. Also, it helps that we will not be losing any seniors next year,” Co-Captain Joey Paulo (10) stated. Like many other athletic programs on campus, the boys’ volleyball team has athletes who are capable of making Poly proud. Only time will tell how the newborn team will develop and contribute to Poly’s well-rounded athletic programs.

 

Translate »