Given the lack of coverage girls’ volleyball receives at Berkeley High School (BHS), students might not be aware that the team has a record of 27 wins and four losses this season. Their record is currently the highest of any BHS sports team this year.
“In all four years I’ve been a part of the program, volleyball always lacks the audience it deserves,” said co-captain Margot Fish. “Every year there is a lot of talent on the team, but BHS doesn’t seem to recognize that. When people do finally come to a match they often come up to us and say, ‘Wow, I didn’t realize you guys were so good.’ ”
Ariane Stenstedt, a junior, feels similarly. She commented on how football routinely receives more promotion than other sport at BHS. She feels that volleyball would get more fans if the sport was publicized more at school.
Senior Evan Curl explained that because there are no professional volleyball leagues, there is less attention directed towards volleyball. Games are hardly ever broadcast on television, leading to a “lack of recognition for the sport.”
Besides the team’s incredible record, this year has been exciting for the seniors who now get to take on more significant leadership roles. Fish said, “The best part is watching the six
“Every year there is a lot of talent on the team, but BHS doesn’t seem to recognize that.”
Margot Fish, co-captain
seniors, who have always been goofs, become more serious leaders.” She added that leadership responsibilities are shared throughout the team, so responsibilities never fall solely on one person. Stenstedt commented on the hard work the seniors have put in over the years, saying they truly “deserve the accomplishments” they achieved this year.
Curl said, “I feel like this year we’re incredibly good at working together as a unit. It feels like we’re a much closer and cohesive team than we’ve experienced in the past, and can easily work together to complete a play.” In the past, the team has displayed a wider gap in skill levels among players. This year, Curl said, everyone is playing at a similar level.
The team has already achieved a major goal they had set for the season, which was to win a tournament. The team placed third in their first tournament of the year, second in the following competition, and placed first at the Carmichael Invitational Tournament in Sacramento.
The Sacramento tournament got off to a rough start. First, the team suffered an unfortunate loss early in the day, but after that, they won every single match. Curl mentioned how gratifying it was to accomplish a goal that the team had set years ago.
Other than winning a tournament, the team hopes to make it past the second round of playoffs in the North Coast Section (NCS) volleyball tournament, a feat that has been difficult to attain in the past.