By Aeriana Smith ’25
This year DHS welcomes the first official volleyball team to ever exist in the Derby region. The Derby Volleyball girls are coming in strong and determined for every play that comes their way this season, including their first win for JV against Ansonia and first win for Varsity against Wilby. Let’s hear what’s in stock for the emotions and feelings of this first-year team.
They have impressed those who looked down on them due to the fact that it’s their first year as an official team. Volleyball Captain, Brianna Kling, 25’ said, “Overall, the season is pretty good considering that this is the first year of Varsity. We’ve won a game so far and have had multiple games that were very close.” With effective efforts, such as practicing 5-6 days a week, constantly learning new methods, and always working hard consistently, the Derby community is truly blown away by the amount of hustle these girls are putting in. Giana Ropicki ‘25 states, “We’re doing really well for a first-year team and I believe a lot of people on our team are very smart and good at picking things up quickly. And a lot of our team has never played volleyball before.”
With the new help of their coaches, Joshua Dydyn and Tara Dering, everyone’s mindset has changed from thinking “we’re not that good”, to “we’re improving more and more each and every day.” Dydyn states, “We can continue to improve by practicing, repetitions, and gaining experience at the JV as well as Varsity level. We hope to continue playing well and compete at the highest level.” Similarly, Kristian Fearon ‘25 JV player, states, “With more practice and time together it will all naturally come together.”
This season is improving tremendously because these hard-working young ladies are without a doubt aiming their best shots. Literally. However, being a first-year team can also have heavy pressure and deceiving expectations. Dydyn believes, “We always need to improve teamwork skills. Because no one has ever played together it takes time to build these skills.” Similarly, Ropicki states, “One of our weaknesses is we need to create a stronger bond. I think the main thing we need to do is improve our communication and learn how to support each other more. I hope we’re all closer by the end of the season so next year it would really help us as a team if we just all become like a family.” The majority of the girls coming in were already friends with each other but when getting on the court it’s almost as if they play for themselves and not as a team. With feeling disconnected, some players can get very frustrated knowing we can work better if we all just trusted each other’s efforts in this game. Xa’ Riyah Mitchell ’25, states, “We need to be more serious sometimes and take constructive criticism from our teammates because they’re actually trying to look out for us and It would be nice just to see improvement on the team, for us to actually look like a real team and not like a kindergarten team.” There seem to be many different perspectives from all teammates. These girls may work very hard, but from what I’m hearing they all need to collectively become more intertwined to achieve their true potential. This will take some time and effort but is vital and well within reach!
Since the Derby Volleyball girls are a Varsity sport they hope to play in the high school next school year. Jim Hoffman, Facilities Director, states, “This is the first year with Volleyball, our floor, our High School, we don’t even have the option to put the poles into the ground, that’s something we’re looking into now to see if it’s feasible because it is asbestos. It’s gonna be a little bit more of a project but we are looking into that, getting pricing. Because we want varsity here in high school.” So with that being said, it’s definitely on the table and there is a great possibility that the hopes of next year being at the high school instead of the middle school aren’t too far-fetched. Representing Derby High with a genuine feeling of “Home Court Advantage” can mean a major boost in morale, which can make all the difference for our girls to get more comfortable as individuals and even better as a true team!
In all, the Derby Volleyball girls are making their way up to becoming a dedicated and confident group of winners! As well as the staff putting forth their best efforts to make it possible for these ladies to be in their own school, playing their varsity sport. Next year is going to be their year without a doubt!
The Raider Press 