The MS Volleyball girl’s team won 2nd place in Copa Horizontes on August 30, 2022, with only one week of training after the summer break.

The team won every game, only losing the final to Horizontes 2-1. The one-day competition forced teams to adjust and compete in varying weather and court conditions.

“Even though some girls were new they still participated in Copa Horizontes. Even if they were a little lost during the games and despite how demanding we made it to the final and gave it our everything,” Sara Sanchez, MS Girls Volleyball Captain, said.

The team is used to playing in the coliseo, but the competition was played outside in the sun, therefore the coach’s game strategy was to hold the service.

“We had to play the entire day outside in the sun, it affected the girls’ physical condition, keeping the service gave us an advantage,” Jiovanna Castañeda, MS Volleyball Coach, said.

To help fill the roster, seven 5th-grade girls were selected based on the skills they demonstrated the previous year. Since they were used to playing four-on-four they had to quickly adjust six-on-six play.

“Many girls felt nervous and scared to play because they were used to a different game dynamic, so we had to intensify training for everyone to feel more prepared to play in a team,” Castañeda said.

The team’s level of performance was lower than usual because it was their first tournament since a two-month summer break.

“I considered the tournament a preparation instead of a competition to help me evaluate the level of the team,” Castañeda said.

Several girls trained outside of school in their clubs during the break, but it wasn’t the same as practicing with the school team.

“I was training in a club and it was easy to come back to train, but it was hard to train with the school’s team after summer,” Sanchez said.