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Sophia Manning, Lauryn Clement, Mia Corippo, Makinley Wright, Katie Low, Kristy Berry, Gina Smith, Annabelle Lowndes, and Miranda Shockley (missing from the shot: Julie Castleman)

Minarets Volleyball: Leaders On and Off the Court

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Minarets’ Lauryn Clement at the net

Written by Annabelle Lowndes —

O’NEALS — Over the past few years, the Minarets Volleyball program has made a name for itself, not only in the mountain community, but in the entire Central Valley. They have proved that, with excellent coaching staff and hardworking players, they can rise up to any challenge.

Each year, there is a tremendous turnout of girls at the tryouts. This year, both the Freshman and JV team have full rosters. Varsity coach Jessica Carter decided to take only 10 girls for her team, rather than the usual 12. 8 of the Varsity players are Seniors, 2 are Juniors.

“This year’s team is a younger team than last year,” explains Coach Carter. “Half of our team are returners whereas last year we only had three new players. The jump from JV to Varsity can be intimidating for some, but this group has such a passion for the game. Each one of them wants to improve day in and day out and it is a joy as a coach to watch.”

minarets-girls-volleyball-sept-21-2016-minarets-mediaNot only are the Varsity girls committed to the sport, they are committed to the school. This year, every Varsity volleyball player is enrolled in the Minarets Leadership class: an incredible and talented group of students that coordinate rallies, dances, fundraisers, and school spirit events on campus.

Leadership is not a class that is open to everyone, though. It is a rigorous application process that requires students to use problem solving, teamwork, and their individual talents to prove that they are qualified to represent and serve the school.

Minarets Leadership is a class of only 27 students, and this semester, over one-third of that class being the Varsity Girls Volleyball team.

It takes a lot of commitment to be a student-athlete. There are practices every school night and sometimes on weekends. Athletes miss class time to participate in sports, which results in homework and late night studying.

“I have to prioritize all the available time I have,” says Varsity volleyball captain Katie Low. “I make sure that use my time wisely.”

minarets-girls-volleyball-stand-attentively-sept-21-2016-minarets-mediaThe team is off to a good start with five wins and two losses. On Tuesday, September 13 all three levels had a win against Sierra High School. The Minarets girls were ecstatic, especially the girls that faced the tough loss against Sierra last year in the Valley game.

“After last night, I know for a fact we have a strong chance of going to Valley,” Coach Carter said the day after the win. “We always have. Our motto this is year is to ‘Try better, not harder.’ We are our own worst enemy, but when this team shows up ready to play, nothing will stop them.”

All of the Varsity players’ goal is to get the to the Valley game.

“We can only go up from here,” points out third year Varsity player, Mia Corippo.

This year, the girls strive for greatness not only on the court, but on campus as well.

Annabelle Lowndes is a Minarets student on the volleyball team who is also enrolled in Creative Writing

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