The Solomon High School Volleyball team started off the year with a lot of unknown, with two new coaches, and a loss of four graduating seniors. The girls came in with a will to get better every day despite these big changes.
“I’m just so proud of how hard these girls work each and every day. They’re willing to learn and try new things because they want to do whatever it takes to win games,” says Coach Desormier (Coach D).
Not only did the girls thrive with the new changes, Coach D and Coach Van De Creek also took on their new roles with a “Long Live” mindset. This season the girls have decided to live by the motto “Long Live.''
To each player, “Long Live'' means something different, but to sophomore Ashli Guzman the motto means, “To enjoy every moment with each other, positive or negative. To always be grateful for every practice and every game because you won't always play with the same teammates, so cherish the time you have. We spend the most time with the team whether it's at school or practice and by the end of it, we become a family.”
Often, throughout the day, you find the volleyball girls giggling together and helping each other make the best out of every day. Anybody can see how much the girls and coaches rely on each other for support on and off the court. The family dynamic they built has helped them pick each other up when they needed each other the most.
“When we are in tough situations, or having a tough game, it’s hard for me to see the girls get so down on themselves. I just want them to have confidence in themselves. So when we are in those tough situations, I try to use those as opportunities to teach them to fight through adversity,” states Coach D.
Facing adversity is a big part of what the team deals with, but the girls have learned how to use it to their advantage. It has helped them to not be a ”one woman” team, but more of a cohesive unit. This has also made the girls more of a threat to play against considering the other teams never know where the ball will be put down.
The girls are not only formidable volleyball players, but they are genuinely good people off of the court.
“I cannot think of a more intelligent, strong-willed, and resilient group of young women,” said Jessica Grant, Solomon High School English teacher. “They are a great group of people and I’ve loved having the opportunity to teach and coach them.”
Photo by Spencer Krause
Editing by Spencer Coup and Nicole Price