COLORADO SPRINGS — After about two years of discussion, Village High School in Colorado Springs now offers two varsity sports for its students — boys basketball and girls volleyball.
The girls volleyball team has gotten out to an explosive start, which is unusual for first year programs. Prior to the season, starting head coach Shannon Baker set a high standard for the program, and the team set a goal of winning the state championship.
The program may be in its first year, but the players definitely are not. The roster is composed of numerous talented young women, including three that have already committed to play volleyball at the collegiate level.
Olivia Plentyl and Lillian Edwards have received scholarships from NCAA Division II programs, and Erika Sayer will be heading to Northern California to play for Stanford. The Cardinal are currently ranked second in the nation, according to the NCAA rankings.
Before Village offered sports to their students, the young women interested in playing would compete for other high schools. They say they enjoyed the opportunity to play at those schools, but wearing the Village name across their chest means more to them.
“It was fun to play at a different school and to get into different communities, but I just really love playing for my own school. There's pride there,” said Sayer.
“We're finally able to rep our school and rep the school that I know we are all so passionate that we go to and we are so lucky to be at,” said Edwards. “I think it's so cool that we can all play for that school now, and I think it's cool that the girls under us and the underclassmen will be able to carry that on."
The school is made up of about 500 students, but the size of the school does not represent the amount of pride they have for their new athletic program. In the Mountaineers first home match against The Classical Academy where they swept the Titans, coach Baker says there was standing room only in the gym.
Village is looking to expand their athletic program and aiming to offer 8-10 sports in the future. The volleyball team is hoping that their immediate success is paving the way for more opportunities within their school.
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