There are eight new faces on the girls varsity volleyball team this year. Two of which are in ninth grade. Freshman Brently Riner and Madison Morris both got promoted to varsity this year while playing for the JV team as eighth graders.

With the benefits of playing on varsity, there also comes pressure. The age gap from a senior to a freshman can be pretty big. According to Morris, there is increased pressure compared to playing on JV. “Morris and Riner have handled playing with older competition and teammates”

“I benefit from learning from the older players”, “but there is more pressure compared to JV because more people come to watch,” Morris said. “I feel like it’s a little challenging. I feel bad if I mess up since they’re older. But I try to improve every day as much as I can so I can be at their level as soon as I possibly can”, “Morris said. 

“Everyone’s older so they know a lot more than we do,” Riner said.

With being older and more experienced also comes leadership. The upperclassmen veterans have been leading the way for the younger, less experienced freshmen. 

“It’s good because they have a good influence on how I can improve,” Morris said. 

“They’ve taught me to give full effort and just go for every ball,” Riner said.

The players think that the student section and fans are very impactful. Both freshmen think that the atmosphere that the student section creates affects the emotions of the game.

“I think they affect it well because they hype up the energy, and we need the energy to produce wins and points. [Also] if someone messes up, then they’re cheering and we’ll get in our heads to say ‘we can do it.’ And it definitely helps take down the pressure,” Morris said. 

The student section can also encourage the players on the court. “I think it adds to the game a lot. It makes it more fun because they’re cheering for us even if we do something wrong,” Riner said.

A student section needs someone to direct the chants. Senior Gabe Sabarre leads the “Strike Zone” student section at both the football and volleyball games. 

“I really enjoy being able to bring energy to everyone and bring energy to the players. It also just makes the experience more enjoyable for everyone,” Sabarre said. 

Sabaree agrees with Morris that the student section affects the players.

“I think it gives a competitive edge to the players and makes them play better. Volleyball and football both are mental sports as well as physical. So having that edge up in that mental aspect really gives this team a competitive edge,” Sabarre said.

The student section can sometimes fuel the whole gym to get loud. Sabaree ties this back to his 11th grade psychology class.

“So I like to think about it as I was in my psychology class last year. We did a lot on group thinking and group polarization. So if you see everybody else doing something and everybody else is having a good time, you’re gonna also want to do that. It’s like when you’re in an auditorium and everyone’s clapping, you’re gonna [want to] clap with them. And I feel like that aspect goes a lot into the student section. If we’re doing it, then everybody else is going to want to do it too,” Sabarre said.

Morris has been practicing and training hard to earn a spot on varsity for a long time. She is proud to say that she is a part of the team. 

“It feels really good to finally make it [to varsity] and it was a huge relief when I figured out I did”, Morris said.