Volleyball team digs fresh, new start
Players on the Junior Varsity Volleyball team block Balboa’s hit.
October 25, 2022
Riordan has gone through many changes throughout the years, one of which has been the addition of new sports teams, including one of the more exciting programs to the Riordan community, volleyball.
The new year served up new challenges and changes for the Crusader Volleyball program, the first and foremost being the bringing in of a new coach, Jennifer Curtin. A volleyball coach for 16 years, she is a veteran at developing and pushing teams to their greatest potential.
She shared why she has dedicated so much time as a coach, remarking, “Volleyball is a fun sport; it’s exciting, physically demanding, and is the ultimate team sport as you have to trust everyone on the team. I love that it brings out selflessness in players, helps them learn more about life, teaches them not to dwell on failure, and I get to see students be a part of something that they love.”
On top of that, in regards to running such a young program, she stated, “It’s a small, tight-knit team, pretty much the smallest volleyball team can be, we only have one senior, so our team is incredibly young, but I am proud we still compete with everyone.”
That one senior, Nataly Neves, expressed what it is like being the oldest on the team, giving voice to her role, “I have to be responsible and mature, and all together be someone the rest of the team can look up to.”
In addition, she stated her appreciation for the new coach. “Ms. Curtin pushes you to be the best version of yourself, and always makes sure you’re giving it your all.”
This team, early in its career, has shown great potential. With their team captains, Analee Ronas ’24 and Carol Manu ’25 both having years left at Riordan, their leadership is bound to set the team up for even greater success. As there is no doubt they will continue to develop the team’s volleyball IQ while they start to compete against the toughest WCAL competition, starting next season.