At the sound of the ball slamming into the ground after a hit in combination with the referee’s whistle, the first ever CHS boys volleyball game ended with a bang. CHS won 3-1 against Herndon on Aug. 28.
On Feb. 8, under the proposed budget for the 2024-25 school year, superintendent Dr. Michelle C. Reid announced that boys volleyball would be an official sport for FCPS high schools. This funding also allowed girls wrestling to become a new addition to FCPS schools.
“I believe she chose those because of interest across the county, and the fact that a new girls and boys sport needs to be added at the same time to maintain equality.” Assistant Director of Student Activities Kevin Ford said.
According to The National Federation of State High School Associations survey, for every male competing in high school volleyball, about eight females are participating as well. Since there is a clear difference in the number of girls versus boys, volleyball is considered a female dominated sport.
“There are a lot of boy volleyball players in our area but there aren’t as many opportunities for them to show their skills, like there are for girls volleyball,” right side junior Declan Pranoto said. “Boys volleyball is a great addition to FCPS because it gives players a competitive league for boys in our area.”
The NFHS sports participation survey, taken from 2016-2017, states that there were 57,209 participants in boys volleyball. Compared to the 2017-18 school year with 61,000 participants, it shows the growth of participation and interest in the sport.
“The interest needs to be across the county to keep the sport going for more seasons,” Ford said. “If the interest across the county grows, maybe it could even allow for the addition of more teams like JV and freshman.”
While physical skills play an important role in the sport, USA volleyball says that a player’s mental skills, including positive energy, are just as important. With a record of 3-9 and a losing streak of five games the team goes into each game with a positive attitude.
“One of our strengths would be the positive energy we bring.” Pranoto said, “This allows us to bring each other up when we make a mistake, ensuring that we play to the best of our abilities, without getting in our heads.”
From Aug. 3-5, between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m, approximately 40 boys tried out for the team, 17 of which made the team. On Aug. 6, the team began practicing every day from 6:00-8:30 p.m. in the CHS gym.
“Our overall passing as a team is shaky during games,” captain and setter senior Owen Hill said. “If we work on our passing and our blocking during practice, I think our passes could improve by a large amount.”
The team’s last regular season game was on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at Westfield. The high schools that they have defeated are Herndon, Hayfield and Madison. The team lost to Westfield 3-2 in the first round of the district tournament on Oct. 28, ending their inaugural season.
“This season was very developmental for the team because it was the first year.” Pranoto said, “New team, new coach, and overall a new sport to FCPS which made it very possible for growth to take place. I think next year we will do much better because the team will be comfortable with each other.”
