The first pre-season matches for The Benjamin School Varsity Volleyball team took place at Palm Beach Gardens High School against various local teams on August 16. Although the girls didn’t win every match, they showed their excellent skills, teamwork, and great sportsmanship. This was the team’s first slate of games since going to the state championship last year.  With a new year comes new players and new personalities, so how will the Bucs start all over again and hope to have the same success from last year?

For one thing, it starts with team building.

“These [pre-season] matches were important for us as coaches because it gave us the opportunity to see what our strengths and weaknesses are,” said Head Coach Mrs. Alex Clarke. “For the first time, the girls were able to see how their teammates react in tough situations. They are able to see whom they can look to for leadership. Now that the first game is out of the way, we will be able to continue to build team chemistry.”

That sentiment was echoed by some of the parents as well.

“I think it is important to play on a team and work with others,” said Mrs. Kris Blain, mother of Ellie Blain ’20, one of the squad’s outside hitters. “Everyone has to get along and work well with his or her teammates to have a successful season.”

The team aspect is not lost on the players, both current and former.

“I like [volleyball] because there is not one individual on the court,” said former middle blocker Katy Blain ’18 who was also at the game cheering on her sister. “There are six players, and everyone has to work together to get the point. If you miss a point, you can’t get down on yourself. You have to shake it off and work together [with the team] to get the next one!”

“Teamwork is really important,” said freshman Madeline Comorat, the youngest player on the team. “I play because I love the sport, I love everything about it, the whole team aspect.”

Clarke, who has coached the varsity team at TBS for 10 years, loves the sport, too, and enjoys passing on her enthusiasm to her players. “I coach because I want to pass my passion for the game on to future generations. I love being able to make a difference in the lives of young athletes. Our pre-season matches are always a very important part of our season. The girls have been working hard for two-and-a-half weeks, and this was the first time we were able to see them in action.”

Now, with some pre-season matches under their belts, the team knows what it needs to do in order to have another successful season. “As coaches, we know that team bonding needs to be at the top of our priority list moving forward.”

Hopefully, our middle school teams feel the same way!