WOODBURY — Bump. Set. Spike. Three terms all volleyball players know really well. This year, students at Woodbury Middle School worked hard to master these skills along with teamwork.

WMS added girls volleyball to its list of fall sports, and students are excited to represent their school. With excitement comes hard work, and for this new team, learning how to work together was one of the biggest challenges.

Emma Pratt, a volleyball player at WMS explained that “playing volleyball includes skill and practice, but the hardest part is communicating with each other. Communication really seemed to be a problem for us.”

No communication leads to mistakes and losses, which makes players lose confidence and can hurt the team’s relationships.

“People are trying to show that they’re the best, and that makes people go against each other and not work well with each other,” said Olivia Penrosa, a student at WMS. 

Adding a new sport to a school could cause problems for other sports that share the same season. This could lead to scheduling conflicts and limited gym space, making it hard for sports to practice and prepare for their games. 

Fortunately that wasn’t an issue.

“Volleyball luckily never got in the way of other sports,” said Jayda Gladding, a student at WMS.

Many students were excited to try out for the new team. Some people even gave up another sport to try volleyball. 

“I’m glad I did volleyball instead of cross country,“ Pratt shared.

She wasn’t the only one who felt that way. The energy around tryouts was high, with many students so excited to be part of something new and exciting. Whether they were trying volleyball for the first time or already had some experience, the team gave them a chance to challenge themselves and connect with others in a fun, fast-paced environment.

Penrosa said she “was excited and I knew a lot of my friends were excited to be on the team.” 

Not only were the kids excited about bringing a new sport to the school, but parents also were.

“When I found out the school was starting a volleyball team, I was really excited,” said Jamie Haeusgan, a mother of one of the volleyball players. “It means so much to see my daughter get the chance to play at school and hopefully keep going with it into high school.”

Despite initial communication struggles and the challenges of starting something new, the volleyball team has brought more opportunities to the school. Students are developing their athletic skills, building confidence, and learning the value of working together as a team.

So is the new volleyball team a good addition to Woodbury Middle School? With such a strong beginning, a great ending, rising interest, and great team spirit, volleyball is quickly becoming an important part of school life at Woodbury.

“Volleyball has brought us together like a family,” said Ella Dannenhoffer. “It’s a part of who we are.”