Ben Shofet, staff writer
With only 19 returning players to the girls volleyball program, volleyball coach Eriko Gambol accepted 20 new freshman to the entire volleyball program.
This year, the frosh/soph team is solely composed of freshman, while JV is a mix of freshmen and sophomores. This year the frosh/soph coach, Eriko Gambol, had to expand his roster from 12 to 16 players.
“It’s tough because you want everyone to make it, but there were a lot of freshmen trying out this year. We had to put a cap on it; we can’t take all 35 of them,” Gambol said.
According to frosh/soph player Juliette Collet, most of the freshmen who have had any sort of game experience were moved up to JV, leaving all but one freshman on the team with no game experience.
“I’m kind of nervous for the upcoming season because I never really played in an actual game before,” frosh/soph player Danna Rosman said.
Many of the returning players in the volleyball program are confident in the talent that the freshmen have to offer to their program.
“The freshmen have shown a lot of talent so far and I think they are going to really improve our program,” JV player Carina Massana said.
Alexandria Hunter, a junior who is out for the season due to injury, is confident that her coaches and teammates will “prosper” and “become better” throughout their high school career.
“By the time they’re seniors we are going to have a really good varsity team,” Hunter said.
The influx of new members to the volleyball program was caused by the empty spots created by students who dropped the program, according to JV player Emilia Kyriazis.
“I think it’s great that a lot of freshman are joining because it’s building up a strong team for the future. But I remember last year I was on the bench every single game…and I learned nothing. I’d hate to see all of those freshmen not being able to play and learn the game this year,” Kyriazis said.
However, Gambol has stressed that playing time will be not be an issue this year on his frosh/soph team.
“Playing time is not a concern for me because everyone will be playing. Everyone will have equal playing time. It’s the only way they are going to get better,” Gambol said.
For now, Gambol is focused on preparing his freshman squad for their future in Beverly volleyball.
“For me, watching their growth from season one to season four, that’s what’s exciting to me,” Gambol said. “To see where they came from, where they started and where they will end up and that’s what excites me.”