Marlee Ready
Reporter
Not too long ago, the boys’ volleyball team was only a club sport. But under the leadership of seniors Chris Gutierrez and Kevin Hall, the team is beginning their second season as a varsity sport. With a full roster of returning and rookie players, NCBV has high potential on the court.
The boys will be pushed to the limits by head coach, Katherine Bakes. Her commitment and passion for the sport has heavily contributed to the success of the program. “Ms. Bakes is a determined, fun and energetic coach,” Chris said. “She always has a positive attitude and pushes us to become better each day.”
The wide variety of players that play on JV and varsity have helped the program to expand in many different directions. “There are guys from all backgrounds, grade levels and skill levels on one court with the same goal: play hard and have fun,” Coach Bakes said.
According to Chris, one of the team’s best assets is their sportsmanship. “If anyone ever messes up on a play, we have guys coming in to cheer you up and keep you focused on the next one.”
Kevin agrees. “Volleyball requires a lot of teamwork and trust amongst players and that is truly our strongest area as a team,” he said.
According to Coach Bakes, motivation is the team’s number one quality. “The strength of our team is their motivation to get every ball,” she said. “They don’t let anything fall without giving it 100% effort.”
Kevin also views the team spirit as a driving factor for the team’s success. “The strengths of our team are mainly in our energy and our ability to improve,” he said. “Every game we go into we have the mentality to win and regardless of the final result we get better as a team.”
The team lineup provides strong abilities coming from every side of the court. Starting players, seniors Keith Griffin and Dichen Yin will play on the right side. Junior Tyler Edwards, senior Peter Baran and Kevin will play on the outside. And Chris, senior Sean McCloskey and junior George Herde will play the middle. Junior Isaac Fishman is the setter.
Besides the talent that will be utilized on varsity, Coach Bakes is hopeful that the JV players will also perform at the varsity level. “We have other players being trained in JV that we hope to see in the varsity lineup by the end of the season,” she said.
The boys are aiming to qualify for state championship and Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference (FCIAC) this season since last year they were only one game shy of playing in the state playoffs. “We would like to be a consistent force in the FCIACs and Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference to be reckoned with,” Coach Bakes said.
The boys’ volleyball program has made the players as well as the coaches proud to be a part of. “The boys’ program has grown tremendously,” Chris said. “It’s great to see it unfold with my own eyes and I couldn’t be more proud.”
The new and thriving program appears to have momentum as they move into future seasons. “This program is only going to improve in the future,” Kevin said. “We have a coach that is always looking to improve, a team that can learn fast and a school that supports the growth of a new program.”
In order to develop the program, the team is looking towrads the youth. “We hope to be able to attract more boys interested in training and learning the sport at an earlier age,” Coach Bakes said.
As for the team’s goal this year, Coach Bakes has a narrow focus. “Our goal this season is simple: daily improvement as an individual player and as a team.”
