As Carlsbad High school begins the school year and sports kick into gear, JV volleyball has a new team as well as a new coach. This year, Coach Cassie Belk makes her debut as the new girls JV volleyball coach. Coming in as a new coach requires lots of planning for the upcoming season, so the team has gotten to work.

Coach Belk and the team wants to succeed this year, so they work together in trying to make that happen. It is important that the coach has a good relationship with her team in order to help every player with their weaknesses in the sport.

“I always wanted to be a teacher so I thought this would help me get a foot in the door,” Coach Belk said.

Coach Belk is not just concerned about her team winning; she would prefer to see her team have fun and get better. Although she is not teaching, she holds high standards for her team and hopes for the best for the season.

“It’s not about winning or losing, it’s just about having the girls improve,” Coach Belk said.

The sole purpose of the sport is not the outcome of the game but the journey to improvement. The main goal for the team is to grow upon the skills they started the season with.

“I hope we continue to grow and get better and that we win our games,” freshman Ailene Uetz said.  “I [also] felt very excited [to make the JV team as a freshman] and I [feel] very confident in myself [and my abilities] now.”

Coming in as a new coach, Coach Belk has a fresh outlook on how to help the girls and motivate them through the season. Having a supportive coach that can analyze your strengths and weaknesses is vital for a team to thrive.

“Our coach helps us by motivating us and when [we] mess up or make a mistake,” freshman Holland Hancock said. “She will give us tips on how the fix that problem.”

Team bonding is a very crucial aspect for a team’s success. Without bonding, a team cannot properly connect on the court. When the girls spend quality time together their personalities begin to unfold and an improvement appears in their performance.

“Most of the team are alike [in personality] so we bond easily,” freshman Olivia VanderBrink said.

Not only are the girls on the team just friends, but they are family. The girls have already built a foundation of trust with one another this early in the season.

“I want them to have fun and know that I’m there for them and i have their backs and if they struggle a lot they can trust me to help them,” Uetz said.