Marcel Bassett
The volleyball team’s skill is being tested this season because they have eight team members.
“A team has six members in play on a side, unless they are playing beach volleyball,” Coach Jim Harrigan said. “Injuries are a big deal.”
The team now consists of one junior, four first year students and five sophomores. Two sophomores were recruited from inside the school. It was the first time the team had needed to ask students to participate. Two spots are on the bench for tired and injured players, while the rest of the team must battle.
Coach Harrigan, who has been coaching at Cabrini for 11 seasons, says he plans to finish out this season strong and create a foundation for next season. The team is learning how to function without a reservoir of fresh players. “Volleyball is not as easy as other sports,” Harrigan said.
“The team has to improvise and play the ball where it goes. Plays are tough to carry out,” he continued.
New players like first year student Katie Updike are doing well, according to the coach. Updike’s height and power is helping to contribute to the team’s success, as are the other new player’s skills. Some of the new team members never played volleyball in high school. However, they are proving to be large assets to the team, according to Harrigan.
The coach encourages students who want to be involved, to contact him. Harrigan states that “it can be easy to handle college and a sport if you can budget time well.” The coach is looking forward to the future and said that “the team has a lot of potential.”
