Volleyball players, coaches hope season is worth the wait
GREENSBORO — High school volleyball teams would be more than a week into their season in a typical year. But the COVID-19 pandemic has made 2020 anything but typical.
Instead, NCHSAA schools won’t even start official volleyball practices before Nov. 4 and won’t be able to play any matches until Nov. 16.
“It will definitely be interesting, because that’s usually when we start state playoffs,” says Northwest Guilford junior Grace Austin, a middle hitter. “It will definitely feel more rushed.”
The only opportunity players have had to work on their game during the summer was in a club setting at facilities such as Beach South Volleyball in High Point, where club members can play on the outdoor sand courts.
Caldwell coach Dan Bozarth and his daughter Madison are part of the program at Beach South, which “has provided the opportunity for a lot of kids,” he says. “Our numbers have been very good all summer. The kids are getting touches on the ball. … Then there’s the conditioning aspect, the cardio, the jumping in the sand. It’s huge for the girls. When they transition to indoors, they’re in shape and they’re jumping better.”
Caldwell and other NCISAA schools have returned to practice, with a number of safety measures in place, but can’t play matches until Sept. 14.
“It’s definitely different and definitely hard for us as players,” says Gabby Black, a senior outside hitter and defensive specialist for the Eagles, “but we’re looking forward to being able to play soon.”
In a normal volleyball year, Northwest Guilford players would have participated in open-gym workouts three times a week in July and would have had tryouts at the start of August. The NCHSAA season typically begins the third week of the month, so the Vikings have been missing it for a while.
“My girls were texting me about what they would’ve been doing,” Vikings coach Nancy Everett says.
Those activities included a get-together of junior varsity and varsity players and parents at Pinetop Sport Club, an event that includes a players vs. parents match, as well as a parent-supervised beach trip on Labor Day weekend.
“It’s a lot of things that are off the court that they’re truly missing,” Everett adds. “That’s the hardest part. We miss playing, but the team bonding and togetherness is what’s really missed. I miss my girls. They’re the light for me.”
Grimsley coach Jamie Goubeaux says she typically takes a vacation the last week of July, “so I can mentally get away from summer workouts and enjoy a week with my family before tryouts.
“It’s kind of weird not to be coaching right now and weird not to be in the gym,” Goubeaux says. “It’s just odd.”
Missing the start of the season was odd for area private school players and coaches, too, but they’re back on the court. NCISAA schools were allowed to start practicing Aug. 10, and Caldwell plays its first match Sept. 15. The Eagles would have been about eight matches into their season by now, Bozarth says, but they did lose eight matches they’d scheduled against Triad public schools.
Bozarth’s team started the summer with individual workouts, one player at a time for 30 minutes.
“I’d have a mask on, have gloves and we’d have to wipe down the ball between individual players,” says Caldwell’s athletics director. “Then we moved to small-group pods of five players at a time. Then we went to full practice.”
“It was so great” being back on the court with teammates, Black says. “I know all of us have been missing it so much. Not being able to play since March I think is the longest time since I started that I’ve gone without playing volleyball.”
Everyone involved with the Caldwell program has to undergo health screening on a daily basis, including a temperature check and meeting with the school’s certified athletic trainer.
For practice, Bozarth is limiting how many players can be in the locker room changing at one time to five or six. The Eagles have to wear masks for everything until they’re in drills. That’s the only time they don’t have a mask on, he said, and they try to maintain social distancing when possible.
There’s also no post-point huddle or celebration. “We’re big on high-fives in our gym,” Bozarth says, “and not doing that this year is a little bit weird.”
For NCISAA schools, all sports but football can begin competition Sept. 14. For NCHSAA schools, the other sport starting in November along with volleyball is cross country, where social distancing is much easier to maintain.
Private and public schools players and coaches alike feel some pressure being among the first team sports to return to workouts.
“There’s a little bit because you don’t want to mess it up for everyone else,” Austin says. “I have a friend who made varsity in soccer last year as a sophomore, and she was really disappointed when their season got cut short. Their season will be after us, so I want her to be able to have a season this year.”
The pressure is more immediate at Caldwell.
“If something happens, that’s going to affect us the most,” Black says. “That’s what I and the other seniors keep trying to drill into the underclassmen’s heads, that we have to follow these procedures if we want to have our season. We have to get this done or we won’t get to play.”
The wait will be much longer for Northwest’s Austin and the rest of the public schools players in Guilford County, but it will be worth it to get back on the court with their teammates.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” she says. “I always have so much fun with them. When we’re together we can do really good things.”
GREENSBORO — High school volleyball teams would be more than a week into their season in a typical year. But the COVID-19 pandemic has made 2020 anything but typical.
Instead, NCHSAA schools won’t even start official volleyball practices before Nov. 4 and won’t be able to play any matches until Nov. 16.
“It will definitely be interesting, because that’s usually when we start state playoffs,” says Northwest Guilford junior Grace Austin, a middle hitter. “It will definitely feel more rushed.”
The only opportunity players have had to work on their game during the summer was in a club setting at facilities such as Beach South Volleyball in High Point, where club members can play on the outdoor sand courts.
Caldwell coach Dan Bozarth and his daughter Madison are part of the program at Beach South, which “has provided the opportunity for a lot of kids,” he says. “Our numbers have been very good all summer. The kids are getting touches on the ball. … Then there’s the conditioning aspect, the cardio, the jumping in the sand. It’s huge for the girls. When they transition to indoors, they’re in shape and they’re jumping better.”
Caldwell and other NCISAA schools have returned to practice, with a number of safety measures in place, but can’t play matches until Sept. 14.
“It’s definitely different and definitely hard for us as players,” says Gabby Black, a senior outside hitter and defensive specialist for the Eagles, “but we’re looking forward to being able to play soon.”
In a normal volleyball year, Northwest Guilford players would have participated in open-gym workouts three times a week in July and would have had tryouts at the start of August. The NCHSAA season typically begins the third week of the month, so the Vikings have been missing it for a while.
“My girls were texting me about what they would’ve been doing,” Vikings coach Nancy Everett says.
Those activities included a get-together of junior varsity and varsity players and parents at Pinetop Sport Club, an event that includes a players vs. parents match, as well as a parent-supervised beach trip on Labor Day weekend.
“It’s a lot of things that are off the court that they’re truly missing,” Everett adds. “That’s the hardest part. We miss playing, but the team bonding and togetherness is what’s really missed. I miss my girls. They’re the light for me.”
Grimsley coach Jamie Goubeaux says she typically takes a vacation the last week of July, “so I can mentally get away from summer workouts and enjoy a week with my family before tryouts.
“It’s kind of weird not to be coaching right now and weird not to be in the gym,” Goubeaux says. “It’s just odd.”
Missing the start of the season was odd for area private school players and coaches, too, but they’re back on the court. NCISAA schools were allowed to start practicing Aug. 10, and Caldwell plays its first match Sept. 15. The Eagles would have been about eight matches into their season by now, Bozarth says, but they did lose eight matches they’d scheduled against Triad public schools.
Bozarth’s team started the summer with individual workouts, one player at a time for 30 minutes.
“I’d have a mask on, have gloves and we’d have to wipe down the ball between individual players,” says Caldwell’s athletics director. “Then we moved to small-group pods of five players at a time. Then we went to full practice.”
“It was so great” being back on the court with teammates, Black says. “I know all of us have been missing it so much. Not being able to play since March I think is the longest time since I started that I’ve gone without playing volleyball.”
Everyone involved with the Caldwell program has to undergo health screening on a daily basis, including a temperature check and meeting with the school’s certified athletic trainer.
For practice, Bozarth is limiting how many players can be in the locker room changing at one time to five or six. The Eagles have to wear masks for everything until they’re in drills. That’s the only time they don’t have a mask on, he said, and they try to maintain social distancing when possible.
There’s also no post-point huddle or celebration. “We’re big on high-fives in our gym,” Bozarth says, “and not doing that this year is a little bit weird.”
For NCISAA schools, all sports but football can begin competition Sept. 14. For NCHSAA schools, the other sport starting in November along with volleyball is cross country, where social distancing is much easier to maintain.
Private and public schools players and coaches alike feel some pressure being among the first team sports to return to workouts.
“There’s a little bit because you don’t want to mess it up for everyone else,” Austin says. “I have a friend who made varsity in soccer last year as a sophomore, and she was really disappointed when their season got cut short. Their season will be after us, so I want her to be able to have a season this year.”
The pressure is more immediate at Caldwell.
“If something happens, that’s going to affect us the most,” Black says. “That’s what I and the other seniors keep trying to drill into the underclassmen’s heads, that we have to follow these procedures if we want to have our season. We have to get this done or we won’t get to play.”
The wait will be much longer for Northwest’s Austin and the rest of the public schools players in Guilford County, but it will be worth it to get back on the court with their teammates.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” she says. “I always have so much fun with them. When we’re together we can do really good things.”
