The excitement of volleyball is spreading throughout the St. Robert middle school like wildfire. This year many students have had the opportunity to enroll in both volleyball and basketball, something they have missed since the pandemic radically shut down team sporting events at school in previous years. 

Sophia in 7th grade was asked if she was happy to have sports back at St. Robert, and how the pandemic affected her team. She explained, “I am happy that we have volleyball again at St. Robert. I was disappointed last year that because of COVID we could not play. COVID has affected our team still this year because we have to wear masks during matches, and it sometimes becomes hard to breathe.” She believes that  “COVID will affect my playing because when running for the ball. I find it hard to breathe, which makes me tired faster, slowing me down during the matches.” 

Despite the challenges, Josie in 7th grade is happy with her teams’ performance. “Our team is okay so far. We have only played a few games, but so far so good: Also, our level of performance is way better than I imagined it to be due to the fact that some girls haven’t played before because last year there was no volleyball.” Josie looks forward to the competition heating up since “We have a few tournaments we have entered. I am super excited and hope to win. Hopefully we will learn to be better as a team.” 

Finally, Charlie in 7th grade explained that  “I have an amazing time preparing for and playing with my classmates from 7th and 8th grade. Having friends on the team is really cool and fun.” He is “looking forward to getting better and better each practice with my teammates.” As for volleyball goals, Charlie is hoping to win at least one game this season. He explains, “we play 8th graders even though the majority of the team are 7th graders.”  

In conclusion, so far this year the St. Robert 7th grade boys and girls volleyball teams have been enjoying a great start to their season simply because they are ecstatic to be playing together again. With some new changes and a few struggles, this year has been something different for all of them. As the teams adapt to playing in masks, they will learn to cope with the change and have fun. In fact, the 7th grade girls volleyball team recently won the St. Mary tournament. The whole school is looking forward to more successful games and tournaments in the future, and hopefully more people will want to join volleyball and basketball in the following years.