Story and Photos by Arella Cash
Eatonton Messenger
Putnam County High School’s (PCHS) Varsity volleyball posted plenty of wins last week, a great turnaround for the program compared to its bumpy start to the season just a few days earlier.
The PCHS Lady Eagles Varsity volleyball team bounced back from a couple of discouraging losses in their opening week like they were nothing. Any internal turmoil these girls had felt could not be seen on the court. They were gliding through sets with smiles on their faces and finished with plenty of wins Aug. 16 and Aug. 18.
Josey High School and Glen Hills were their opponents the first day, but neither overpowered the Putnam girls. Josey lost its first game 25-9 against a dominating Lady Eagles squad, and though they tried to make a comeback in the second game, PCHS again came out on top with a 25-21 score.
Next, Glen Hills and Josey played, giving the PCHS girls a break before taking on Glen Hills themselves. The first game was as successful as the last for the Lady Eagles, as they won 25-16. However, a few errors in the next game led them to a close 25-19 loss. That meant a tie breaker with Glen Hills was needed, and the Lady Eagles did not miss the opportunity to serve it up and take a 15-7 win.
Two days later, PCHS was back on the court, ready to battle it out with Westside High and Richmond County Technical Career Magnet (RCTCM).
The Westside match delivered more success, with the Lady Eagles winning 25-18 and 25-12 in back-to-back games.
Their streak for the week was broken, however, as RCTCM won two games straight, 25-13 and 25-21 over the Putnam girls. That match was not a region game, though, so ultimately the Putnam team lost little, but gained some valuable experience instead.
“During this week, the players have had a growth on the importance of each of the points that are earned on the field. They are putting on the field what they learn in practice every day. The players are committed to improving every day and every game,” volleyball head coach Francisco Aguirre Arancibia said.
“Although sometimes I seem frustrated, I understand that it is a learning process with a practically new team that is getting used to playing as a team,” Arancibia admitted. “An important detail during this week is that we have achieved that team unity that we could not find and yesterday in the second game (against RCTCM), what we have been looking for during this time emerged spontaneously.”
His assistant coaches shared similar feelings.
“The girls have shown great progress from just a few nights prior. While we didn’t win the second match, we did get to see the girls fight hard pointby- point to bring their score up drastically,” assistant Kristin Grebel said.
“The disappointment is always there when the points don’t come, but we look forward to growing even more this season and using these situations as teachable moments to help grow our players to be elite on and off the court.”
Likewise, assistant Varsity volleyball coach and Jr. Varsity head coach Sarah Mangan said the entire coaching staff is proud of how much the team has already improved.
“We may have lost the second game, but the score doesn’t show the deficit they came back from in the second set. The team fought hard and that grit and passion is what will bring them far,” she pointed out. “The little improvements each game will eventually add up. I can’t wait to watch their hard work pay off.”