The Steinbrenner varsity volleyball team has been constantly working and preparing to build up to this season, by running a lot of drill-based activity at their practices leading up to the game versus Venice. They were together on and off the court building relationships with each other. The game was an enormous success, because they beat the five-time state champions, Venice.
Winning this game has allowed them to have a big confidence boost and advantage when they are playing them again to compete for state semifinals. They will face more challenging games before states, but that will only help make their physical and mental toughness better to become state champions.
The Steinbrenner varsity volleyball team has always been extremely strong and competitive, and this year it does not look like it will be any different. Coach Sabrina Shoemaker, who has been coaching for four years at Steinbrenner and has experience playing volleyball at youth level and club, believes that this year will be an amazing year for the team.
“Skill wise we are really physical; we just have some kids that are hitting the snot out of the ball. Big, physical kids. We have a huge height advantage… We are a lot better with ball control this year, which I think you win small point battles, that make big differences when it comes to win loss, but I think our biggest strength [this season] is the energy on the team… collectively their personalities just click, those are things you can’t coach. [When it came to being Venice], it needed to take consistency in the execution of our game,” said Coach Shoemaker.
Having a big aggressive team in volleyball always gives the team an advantage because it allows them to attack and block the ball more easily. When it comes down to the bigger games against the harder teams, you cannot just rely on your height and aggressiveness. The team must be able to trust one another and have a bond to click, out on the court.
Being able to have a dedicated team bond not only helps with trust, but it also helps with uplifting people when mistakes are made. This gives Steinbrenner a little bit of an advantage because the team is constantly spending time together and forming bonds that transfer into the court when its game time. There are still a lot more games lined up for this season, and the varsity volleyball team looks forward to playing the best they can when it matters most.
Carly Grey // Staff Writer
