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What injuries? The varsity volleyball girls are invincible. Broken body parts are nothing to these super versatile players who show their opponents no mercy on the court. The team continues on strong into the season despite injuries to two key players due to their “emergency preparedness” approach.
Junior right side and middle Allison Wasserman, and junior right side and setter Nicole Lee were injured in the Sept. 19 preseason game against Clayton Valley High School. “I landed on somebody’s foot and that's how I sprained my ankle in the game,” Wasserman said. Lee injured her right hand’s pinky finger during warm-ups when the ball hit the net at a weird angle, ricocheting to hit her hand and crack the bone while she was setting. Both players rejoined the team after two and a half weeks for the game against International Studies Academy on Oct. 7 at Lowell.
When players become injured, Coach Reva Vrana is prepared. She specifically trains all team members to be able to play at least two positions. “I emphasize giving one hundred percent no matter where you are and who is next to you,” Vrana said. “They learn to get the job done and trust one another, have faith in each other and support each other in taking risks. We mix it up a lot during practice because it gives everyone a chance.”
Senior right side Lorriane Ichiyasu has been subbing for the injured girls as well as setting for the team. “There’s a little pressure sometimes because I’m not used to it,” Ichiyasu said. Although it is challenging to expand on their positions, the girls do see the advantage to versatility. “It helps people be smarter players if they can see from a different position, and it makes subbing easier because you’re not restricted,” Wasserman said.
The girls’ versatility kicked in when Wasserman and Lee missed out on the season’s first game on Oct. 1 against Phillip & Sala Burton High School. “I put in a lot of work and conditioned all summer for this game, so it’s hard for me to it,” Wasserman said. “I have an ankle injury so I can’t even stay in shape. It’ll be hard to start again but it’ll come back quickly.” Despite the loss of two key starters, the girls won their opening season game with a score of 25-23 in the first game, 25-24 in the second game, and 25-18 in the third game.
The win was especially satisfying as early in the game the girls were greeted by boos and taunts by the Burton crowd. “We weren’t playing at our full potential at the beginning of the first game and started trailing behind,” senior libero Jessica Peng said. “But later we really started to pick it up.” An intense rally between Burton and Lowell energized the team when the score was still in single digits, but the girls pulled through and smashed their opponent. During the second game, the servers added an easy ten points just off of aces.
The varsity volleyball girls lost only two out of their nine preseason games, those to Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory and Saint Ignatius College Preparatory. “We played well against Saint Ignatius, and that’s really important because they are really big competitors,” Wasserman said. “You really don’t get this good of a competitor in league play, so it was nice playing with them.” The girls also placed third in the preseason Washington High School of Fremont tournament. They lost to Bishop O’Dowd High School, which took first, and Washington High School of Fremont, which took second.
Vrana makes sure her girls stay sharp even when they are injured. “They show up to practice, wear their running shoes, and are involved and cheering their team mates on,” Vrana said. The girls’ closeness helps make sure that injuries won’t break the team apart. “They love each other so much, it’s ridiculous,” Vrana said. “Everyone has a high level of talent and has something to contribute.”
The girls have a game today at 5:10 at Lowell against Galileo Academy of Science and Technology.
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