The beginning of most sports seasons includes team bonding, conditioning, and preparing for a successful season. OH girls’ volleyball, however, had a different start to their season.
On Sun., Aug. 17, a heavy storm hit OH, causing damage to the main gym. At the same time, the OH girls’ volleyball team was also preparing for the upcoming season. Currently, girls’ volleyball is being held in the AUX gym.
Head Coach Gary Mosley said, “At first they weren’t sure where we were gonna be [playing]. They were talking about possibly playing on the road the whole season or putting us at Oswego East.”
For many players, this location change has been a struggle and an upset. When asked about the biggest challenge, OH senior OPV player Kimmie Reichard said,”It’s definitely been moving, because the AUX gym just isn’t the same environment…the downgrade has been the worst part.”
The question of when the main gym will be back to functioning is still in the air. The building has seen steady progress and the Athletic Department reports it being done in the near future.
The disappointment of some players’ senior year being in the AUX gym has been a letdown for many. Reichard said, “As a senior, what I wanted was the environment in the main gym with everyone.”
With the continuation of the season and senior night approaching, OH senior and OPV player Ammecy Ray said, “I really, really do want the gym back before senior night at least.”
Regardless of the location of practices and games, the OH girls’ volleyball team continues to impress and show how strong they are together. Mosley said, “We do a lot of team bonding to keep everybody positive.”
Along with spending most of the summer together, getting their bodies warmed up and prepared to have a successful season, the team works outside of practice as well to bond, Mosley shared.
“We go to dinners together. The girls run a junior high practice for the kids. We have a big sister, little sister type of program,” he said. Also, around homecoming time, Mosley said the team has a lip sync battle as a team building event.
So far this season, the team has shown their strength physically and mentally, together with their current stats sitting at 5th in conference and 69th in Illinois ranking.
For the remainder of the season, the team is expected to continue to work hard and meet the high expectations set by themselves and their coaches.
The next match-up for the OPV is Tues. in the AUX gym against Plainfield North.
Hi! My name is Ainslee Gerardot and I'm a junior at Oswego High School. This is my first year of the 42Fifty staff, and I am proud to serve as Social Media Editor. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
