The game of volleyball is coming back to life among Grade 9s and 10s at Estevan Comprehensive School this year.
Kevin Perkins, coach of the Elecs junior boys’ volleyball team, said kids want to play volleyball this season and that is being reflected in the work and dedication they are displaying in learning the game. He said the team has only participated in one tournament in Weyburn this year as well as a few exhibition games, but the kids come out to practice regularly and their play seems to be improving as they prepare to participate in the District Championships in Manor on Nov. 12.
“We’ve got a great group of guys,” said Perkins. “We’re just a little shy and a little timid. We need to be more aggressive towards the ball. We’ve got some great hitters. We’ve got some great setters and it’s just that we’re lacking a little bit of confidence right now. We’ve got to be a lot more aggressive with the ball and we’ve got to be crisper with our passes.”
Perkins said the renewed interest in volleyball can probably be attributed to the great job elementary school coaches have done in building the game among younger kids. He noted this year’s Elecs junior boys’ team features a lot of graduates from Devin Aspinall’s Pleasantdale Elementary School’s squad.
To get these kids ready for districts, Perkins said the focus in practice will be to make sure each of the kids wants to be the guy that has the ball hit to them and isn’t afraid of making a mistake. If the players develop that confidence, the goal of placing in the top-two in the playoffs should be achievable.
“There will be more Grade 10s (on opposing teams), so we’ll probably come up with some stiff competition,” he said. “But I think we can do it. We just need to bear down and we have to get some confidence.”
