For the first time ever Hampton Bays High School has a junior varsity boys volleyball. This is an exciting change for the school this year. The team is being led by head coach, Ms. Kristy Stevens along with the assistant coach, her sister Ms. Lyndsey Moran.
Ms. Stevens has always been involved in volleyball. Outside of school she stated that she was a part of an adult league for volleyball in Southampton a couple of years ago and was also a part of the volleyball team in Hampton Bays when she was in high school. Before coaching for the junior varsity boys volleyball team she was a coach for the girls junior varsity volleyball team from 2001-2015. She is proud to be able to coach the first boys volleyball team at Hampton Bays.
There were many struggles that Ms. Stevens and Coach Moran had to go through while trying to build up the boys volleyball team. She indicated that they had many open gyms over the summer, and initially only a couple of people would show up. At first it was discouraging but she held out hope. Things improved and their numbers continued to grow, resulting in a 10-person team.
One of Ms. Stevens’s goal was for players on the team to feel comfortable with their position. She stated “If we find the right amount of people we can put them in positions that suit them and not just because that’s where we need them.” Regardless of who was playing where, the team had a successful first year. They finished up with a record of 10-2 and Mrs. Stevens is proud of how far the team has come.
Ms. Stevens encourages people to try out for the team next year. She wants people to know that even if they have never played volleyball, if they are interested in playing, they should come to open gyms next year and try out. She emphasized that even if you don’t have a lot of experience it’s good to try something new.