Livingston

Livingston Academy Volleyball Head Coach Reflects On 2018 Regional Semifinals Loss To Red Bank

August 16, 2019649 views0

Seasons end one of two ways: either in happiness or in tears. For the 2018 Livingston Academy volleyball team, it ended in tears after losing to Red Bank High School in the regional semifinals.

Runs like that don’t happen by accident. A team doesn’t simply wake up as district champions without putting in the work the way a champion would. It requires dedication and chemistry built up over time, something this team has an abundance of.

“A lot of my kids last year had been starters since their freshman year,” said Head Coach Christie Jenkins. “That’s one reason why I believe we will be successful this year, because we have three or four players that started as freshmen and now they’re seniors.”

That continuity and chemistry will be vital to her team again this season. Jenkins returns five seniors, four of which were starters, and they’ve been hard at work all off-season. This alone gives Jenkins confidence in what they could do this season.

“I feel like all of my kids have grown over the summer,” Jenkins said. “I just feel like we’re going to be really competitive … we’re going to a tournament in Florida at the end of (August), so we’re excited about that.”

Playing over time builds a bond amongst athletes, and this is a team that prides itself on being able to play as one. It’s that experience that helped them make their school one that other teams would dread playing on the schedule. What also helps is that while they are returning a majority of their core, other schools are not so fortunate.

Jenkins believes that that factor, along with her team’s camaraderie should boost her girls’ confidence and lead them to new heights this season.

“This year, knowing that some of the teams have lost some of their better players, that will help give some of our kids some confidence in themselves,” Jenkins said. “I just think the experience of those seniors that have played together for three years is really going to help our kids be successful.”