Before 2024, no FCPS school had boys volleyball as a varsity sport- however, FCPS students have persisted, and as of 2024 their wishes have been granted as for the first time ever the Rams will have a varsity boys volleyball team. When asked about the team, senior Julio Villegas Zegarra said, “I really enjoy being part of the team, and having the privilege to be part of the first varsity volleyball team.”
However, with 19 players on the roster, how does the coach decide who plays and who doesn’t–and what inspires players to keep playing? Head Coach Nicholas Collins says he is looking for “the intangibles: Attitude, effort, and energy.” Having a mix of seniors, juniors, sophomores, and freshmen, each player is important to the team. With each player coming from different experience levels, creating a team bond is vital to the success of a season. Although the team has only been together for about two months, the sport brought them together. Freshman John Huges said, “of course I do; I love my teammates,” when asked if he enjoyed being part of the team.
Countless hours of practice lead to a 90 minute game, and each of the boys have their own routine before each match. Zegarra says “Before the game, we warm up and do stretches. We prepare mentally- this allows us to put the pressure on the other team rather than ourselves.” Another player, sophomore Aiden McNiff stated, “Before I play a game, I take a nap.” These preparations, no matter how active, play an important role in winning games. Coach Collins said they want to “take each match and each practice day by day.”
When presented with the question; What do you look forward to this season? Almost all of the players stated, “playing with my team and winning.” However, McNiff took a different approach- “This season, I am looking to improve the Robinson volleyball program.” There is already lots of attention on the boys volleyball team, considering that this is their first season, and McNiff hopes to make it count
“We’re process focused and not results oriented. In just three matches, we have already seen such tremendous growth, mentally and fundamentally, in such a short amount of time. If we continue to buy into the process of learning and hard work at the moment, we’ll always be happy with the results at the end of the day,” says Coach Collins when asked about his main goal for the season. The team is focused on the mental aspect of the sport, which is a great thing to focus on. Young athletes tend to have a lot of pressure on them, but Coach Nicholas is striving to reassure his players and remind them to always have fun.
