Grayslake North’s athletic program has officially welcomed its newest sport, boys volleyball, to the plethora of activities that exist already. The team has improved immensely from the beginning of the season and continues to build an unbreakable bond on and off the court.
The program faced Grayslake Central as their first home game, and a huge portion of the student body arrived to support and showed a tremendous amount of school pride.
“We keep working together to create good impressions for the other schools who have played for numerous years, but altogether we just desire to play and enjoy ourselves on the court,” said senior Zach Schaefer.
Despite the losses, the team continues to strive for wins by working extensively during practices. They continue to work for improvement on the court, as well as the growth of teamwork between each other.
“Playing volleyball, you need to rely on your teammates to be successful. When a team plays together as one entity, it is an amazing sight to see. It is like watching the heartbeat of the team play volleyball,” said head coach Nikki Kirchway.
Difficulties arise throughout sports, but the boys have been able to adjust to the strategic competition they have faced. The team was forced to bond and become one in about two weeks before their first game. Most sports around campus have been able to keep the same bond despite minimal changes.
“I believe that we are doing well for a first year program especially because we are mostly composed of kids who have not picked up a volleyball for years. We face many tough teams who have been together for years, yet we still try our hardest,” said freshman Austin Martineau.
On April 30, the boys faced a quad held at Elgin High School. The team also competed at a two day York Invite at York High School on May 6 and 7. The team will continue to prepare themselves for the experienced teams so they are able to come out victorious.
“I want them to be able to know how to keep fighting and working hard for something, as well as how to be able to overcome obstacles not only in volleyball, but also within their lives,” Kirchway said.