School has now begun and so has the clock until the first game of the season.
With the first official game just weeks away, coach Bre St. Claire and coach Rich Lambie are working the girls harder than ever.
Granite Hill's Emily Fetchner (center) will be Granite's main middle player this year. Fetchner is almost six feet tall and is just a junior.
Photo by Marissa Martinez
“This year I hope we can work hard, have a better record in league, and keep up the high grade point average we had as a team,” said St. Claire.
Last year the entire Granite Hills High school varsity volleyball team had a 3.45 grade point average.
The team now has 9 returning seniors and one returning junior. Caitlin Fife maybe the only new comer on the team, but she has worked all summer on hitting, blocking, and passing to be just as superior as anyone else.
And three year varsity setter, Jennifer Landers, has nothing but high hopes for this season.
“Making it to playoffs and being more of a family are my main goals this year,” said Landers. “Well, beating Monache High is also in there too.”
Landers and fellow teammate Natalie Congdon also went to Long Beach to attend a volleyball camp in order to better prepare for this year’s season as well.
“The camp that I attended helped me get down my fundamentals of volleyball down really well,” said front row player Congdon.
As for the defensive side of the game back row players Deanna Alamillo and Zoe Kisling are working on making perfect passes and perfect digs.
But, is there more to life than volleyball?
For this varsity team the answer is yes.
Two Granite Hills volleyball players work together as the make blankets for the community service project "Knots of Love."
Photo by Marissa Martinez
The girls have already done one community service act with team mate Kisling earlier this summer. After a summer practice the girls made 10 blankets to donate Porterville’s Child Protective Services. The girls will have another community service project coming up that will involve them brainstorming for the perfect community service with only $10 to spend.
All of the community service acts will put on video by the end of the season.
Soon the girls will do their annual “Teacher Tea Party,” where each varsity volleyball player brings their favorite teacher to coach Lambie’s house in Springville, California. The tea party has been known to be full of emotional speeches – this year should be the same.
“The tea party is probably one of my favorite events,” said St. Claire. “You girls get to actually talk about someone that has made a different in your life. Hopefully one day you will turn and do the same for someone else.”
The Lady Grizzlies have their first scrimmage game against cross-town rivals the Porterville Panthers on Tuesday, September 1, at Porterville.
“The game is known as a charity event and all the money collected goes to Porterville Education Foundation,” said Lambie. “The referees even do the game for free. It should be a very exciting game.”
