The court buzzes with energy as the Bowie Boys volleyball team practices hard in anticipation for their season. They work through countless drills to get ready for their first game in less than a month.
The team is a club organization, not UIL like Bowie’s girls volleyball team, so they are currently based in the gym at Bethany Church, right across the street from Bowie. This also means that their coach is a parent volunteer instead of someone employed at the high school, but according to senior captain Matthew Villanueva all the players wouldn’t want anyone else as their coach.
“Coach Fechter is just such a good guy and a really great coach,” Villanueva said. “He played volleyball in San Diego, so he knows how to play a fast paced game and at a high level too. His drills allow us to learn from him and get better as athletes.”
Tryouts were held earlier in the school year to decide who would make the team and who wouldn’t. Boys volleyball only has one team, so although most people who tried out made the team, but there were some cuts. The team practices once a week on Tuesdays and mostly scrimmage in preparation to face off against competitive teams like Westwood.
“Recently practices have been focused on getting ready for our game against Westwood at the end of this month,” junior Rocco Medeiros said. “I’m excited for it and I think the team has a really good chance of winning if we keep focused and play well.”
Both Medeiros and Villanueva play club volleyball outside of school and try to bring the same competitiveness to the school team. Their club is called Austin Junior Volleyball, a competitive program where teams all over Austin play teams from around Texas.
“It’s a much higher level of play at club and every kid is stronger and bigger,” Villanueva said. “You have to be at a certain level of athleticism to be able to compete well, and I want that to be the way it is during school games too.”
A big part of the program is made up of students who don’t play club volleyball outside of school. One of these players is junior Julian Medina who plays setter and is new to the team this year.
“Our team has a lot of different levels of skill on it, and I’m always learning new things from my teammates who play club,” Medina said. “I sometimes practice outside of school with my dad and my friends, and I don’t really have a lot of pressure when playing for Bowie and can just have fun.”
According to manager Sofia Zamora, the team has vastly improved since the start of practices and they are becoming a more competitive program by the day. As manager, she is able to watch the team’s progress from the sidelines by taking stats, or scrimmaging with them during practice if they have an odd number.
“This is my first year managing for the team and the majority of my responsibility is just to be at practice and help anywhere I’m needed,” Zamora said. “My favorite part is seeing how much the players improve over time and how relationships develop between players as the team learns to work together.”
Every practice draws the team closer together as they work hard and share their love of volleyball with one another. According to Villanueva, having a community of people that share the same passion as you at school is a motivation to always show up and try his hardest.
“The community of our team is so great, and I love to see the students section show up to all the games,” Villanueva said. “It’s very fun to be able to practice with my friends and see people I know supporting the team at the games.”
This is Villanueva’s senior season, and he believes the team can make a really good run in playoffs. As captain, it’s his job to prepare them to face off against those competitive teams and keep them focused on their goal of going to state.
“Being captain means keeping everybody in check,” Villanueva said. “We can get off track sometimes, but it’s important to stay focused for the start of our season. I also help everybody out if they don’t understand a drill and encourage them to practice hard.”
Along with strong leadership, the team is fueled by high expectations for the season ahead. The focus has shifted from just practicing to competing and players, coaches, and managers are enthusiastic at the promise of a strong season.
“I am looking forward to a lot of things this season, especially playing Vista Ridge because it should be a very competitive and fun game,” Zamora said. “I love that I can be a part of this team and I can’t wait to watch them do really well this season.”
