Each of Putnam County High School’s varsity teams participated in some intense workouts over the summer, including the PCHS volleyball program, which will open its season on Aug. 8 at home.
With occasional interruptions for family vacations, most players attended open gym sessions scheduled during the summer.
Last month, the Lady War Eagles participated in a scrimmage against Davidson Fine Arts, one of their in-region opponents and reigning region champion. It offered a good opportunity to put into practice what they learned during the summer.
The team also participated in the FCA Volleyball Camp at the University of West Georgia, where it was able to compete with several other teams in the Atlanta area. Nine games were held during the camp, where PCHS had the opportunity to learn new skills to integrate into their games.
The PCHS program also added Rakeena Griffin as a new assistant coach after she served as a volunteer for the program last season.
Griffin is a 2015 PCHS graduate who played volleyball during her high school years. She also has been hired as a Spanish teacher at PCHS and is excited about bringing her previous experiences to her new coaching position.
“I am honored to have been a part of the inaugural volleyball team at PCHS during my junior year of high school and I have had a love for the sport ever since,” Griffin said. “At that time, I was only familiar with backyard volleyball but having the opportunity to learn how to play fundamentally changed the way I saw and played the game. I have had the desire to help the program grow and succeed ever since I graduated high school, so I’m super excited to come back home and see it come to fruition.”
In addition to Griffin, head coach Francisco Aguirre Arancibia will be assisted again this year by Amaya Banks as the volleyball program continues to grow.
Also, PCHS sports will continue to promote the volleyball club so a boys’ team will soon have the opportunity to play as a varsity sport.