The Quartz Hill girls’ volleyball team has begun practice for the first time since the fall season ended. Coach Gutierrez, or Coach G for short, is planning out Wednesday practices for returning varsity, returning JV, and upcoming varsity players to rekindle their team spirit for the new season.

The team’s spring practices are on every Wednesday leading up to summer.  These practices do not focus on conditioning, since the girls are already well conditioned from their club training.  Leilani Hallman, a varsity player, stated, “It’s just a normal practice.” Hallman elaborated, “We work on rotations and review the basics so that we are ready to play as a team when summer rolls around.”

Many of the girls attend club volleyball during the off-season to stay in shape and improve upon their skills. After spending so much time with their club teammates, it is hard for some of the girls to readjust their attitudes to the school team. Varsity player Melody Paige stated, “We get to see how everyone progressed over club season, and we get a feel for how we are going to look this season.”  

For some players, the transition from club volleyball to school volleyball may prove difficult. Many of the players have grown accustomed to their club practices and the demands of their club coaches. However, Paige had a different viewpoint on the topic. She stated that “it’s really easy because I play with four other Quartz Hill girls on my club team. It’s like we never left, and our connection on the court is still very strong.”  This strong connection is quite necessary for a successful season, especially for a sport such as volleyball, which requires a lot of teamwork.

Coach Gutierrez mainly coaches the varsity girls. Hallman had a positive outlook on the coach, stating that he “is a great coach… He really knows volleyball. One of my favorite things about playing with him is that [he has the answers to] many of the things that go wrong in the game, either fundamentally or mentally.”  Many of the players believe that Coach G is a phenomenal coach and has led the players to a successful season in the past. Hopefully, he will lead the team to another successful season next year.