Articles about EVHS sports
Article about EVHS volleyball written by our very promising student, Samuel Simons (11/15/2023)
Success And Popularity Of EVHS Volleyball
After another incredible season in which Eagle Valley volleyball went 20-7 and made it to states, I wanted to dive deeper into the sustained success of the volleyball program here at EVHS and what makes it such a fan favorite here at Eagle Valley.
Since taking over as head coach of the varsity volleyball team, Coach Mike Garvey has gone 61-25 with a winning percentage over 70%. This is an incredible feat and is credited to the program that Coach Garvey and his players have been able to build here over the years. When Coach Garvey was asked what the most significant factors in building a program to have the continued success that we have seen here at EVHS, he talked about consistency within the program, "sometimes just staying here and being able to continue to build on year after year is how you sustain things. You can't do that with change." Coach Garvey is in his 4 season as head coach here, and since taking over, the coaching staff has remained the same.
It takes the players within the program to buy into it to have winning season after season. Players must show a level of commitment and ability to handle adversity, which the volleyball players here at Evhs have been able to do incredibly. Coach Garvey stated, "We're a program, and I'm a coach that really believes that in order to improve your skill in order to do anything, you have to approach things with the right mindset." Coach Garvey also talked about how having trust in your athletes is a big part of building a winning program. "We're really fortunate that our kids are dedicated. We don't get excuses. Players show up to practice every day". This speaks volumes to the program here and how coach Garvey runs it.
Early within this season, Coach Garvey caught covid. He missed six matches, and the team managed to go 4-2 without him in his absence. When asked how his absence affected the team, Coach Garvey stated, "I think, you know, the girls do a really good job of understanding that there's going to be bumps in the road. And learning and coming back strong from those challenges". It always sucks when the head coach has to miss some time, but this shows how the team overcame adversity and did not get thrown off. It is also a telling sign of a well-built program that can handle obstacles in the road. When talking to Coach Garvey about how the team handled his absence, he said, "Our message this year is things aren't going to be perfect. And we expect to still achieve goals in that scenario". Not only did they achieve their goals, but the team as a whole learned how to overcome obstacles.
The volleyball team here at Evhs is known as a fan favorite, with the games being very popular among students. Not only does the team's popularity help the school, but it also helps the program's success. When asked how Eagle Valley supports the volleyball team, Coach Garvey stated, "Eagle Valley has always supported volleyball certainly very well. And it's been pretty exciting every year to see each group of kids find a new leader in the crowd, and a new leader to lead all the cheers different things." It is really cool to see the school support the team year after year. Volleyball is a big part of the EVHS community, and that is not changing anytime soon.
The program's popularity also helps and continues to contribute to some of the team's sustained success. When talking about how the popularity of the team affects the success of the program, Coach Garvey said, I have moments in games that have, you know, that I can get caught up, and we need a little bit of momentum. And I can just turn over to the fans, and somebody will catch my eye, and I can just, you know, give them a little fist bump or something, and they start to get rowdy for us. I feel like not only they support the team, but they support me.
It is pretty safe to say that the program's success is going nowhere, and the popularity of volleyball at Evhs is still on the rise. It is cool to look behind the scenes of Eagle Valley's most successful programs. And according to Coach Garvey, Let's see if we can surprise some people at the state tournament and turn some heads!
-Samuel Simons (10th Grade) EVHS Future Sports GM