The gym echoed with the thudding sound of volleyballs hitting the floor as the freshman lined up for their tryouts. Each freshman had a nervous look on their face, unsure if they would be able to showcase their skills well enough to qualify for the Varsity team. As the upperclassmen encouraged them, the freshmen girls prepared themselves for the golden opportunity that presented itself in front of them.
Every year before the volleyball season, high school girls around the United States try to prove their worthiness in hopes of making the Varsity team. When the results are announced, athletes face a rollercoaster of emotions. Being accepted to the Varsity team as a freshman is a notable accomplishment, no matter the sport. Young talent also points toward the future success of any program. At Revere High School (RHS) towards the end of the 2024 season, three freshmen — Grace Regula, Ali Linderbaum, and Maddie Milicia — all suited up to represent the program at the Varsity level.
Varsity player and outside hitter Grace Regula is excited for the future of the volleyball program. She says that the youth of the team means that hopes are high for the potential of the Varsity squad over the next several years.
“We have a lot of potential, especially being a team that’s so young, [and] we have a lot of girls who are going to come up and be able to grow a lot through the program, [so] we’ll be really good in a few years,” Regula said.
Regula acknowledges and appreciates the mentorship of the current upperclassmen, who regulate and uphold the structure of the practices and games, while also keeping practices an enjoyable experience. This kind of support can make it easy for freshmen to join the Varsity environment.
“The upperclassmen really held the team together. They always kept us on track, but they also kept practices light and fun. They made sure that we didn’t get too out of hand,” Regula said.
Defensive specialist and Varsity player Maddie Milicia says that the team atmosphere during the previous season was a boost for the volleyball program, and the synergy between the coaches and players increases comfort levels for the players on the court. This allowed the freshmen to feel comfortable on their new team and adjust to the possibly unfamiliar circumstances.
“For our team atmosphere, everybody picks each other up and hypes the team up and our coaches…never let us get down. Like one of our coaches…would come in and settle us down and tell us that it’s okay that we just have to go out on the court and play our game,” Milicia said.
Milicia is also excited for the future of the team at RHS, and says that the young talent, herself included, is promising of years of success for the Varsity squad. Even though some seniors will be lost to graduation next year, the youthful talent that will grow into the program for the next few years will fill in any gaps.
“We are a very young program, and we are losing our seniors and one of our outside and right side hitters, so we’re going to have to fill in, but there’s some good people coming up,” Milicia said.
Middle and right side hitter Varsity player Ali Linderbaum agrees that it was not difficult to play on the team as a freshman due to the support and energy that the rest of the team brought.
“Everyone was really supportive, even in our tough moments during games, everyone was still positive,” Linderbaum said.
Linderbaum also said that joining the team in the first place was no challenge for the freshmen. While being a freshman among upperclassmen could be difficult, the support from teammates at RHS outweighed the pressure.
“It is not challenging to be a freshman on the volleyball team [because] all of our teammates were really supportive,” Linderbaum said.
While outside hitter Grace Regula thought that the Varsity team ended the season earlier than anticipated, the talent that the underclassmen bring to the volleyball program is very important. She said the team will be ready for any adversity that the upcoming seasons throw its way.
“The team ended earlier than we expected, but now that we have so many freshmen on the team and so many underclassmen, having been more experienced now, we’ll go into next season and we’ll be ready to take on whatever we have to do,” Regula said.
Overall, the new freshmen have brought youth to the program and proven the potential of the RHS volleyball program. Through sheer support, positivity, and encouragement from coaches and the rest of the team, the younger stars were able to join the team, setting the program up for future success.
