The spring season is beginning and there are high hopes for our teams, especially the volleyball teams. The men’s team was state runners up last year and the women’s indoor team is ranked sixth in the state.   

This year, however, we have another volleyball team to cheer on, sand volleyball.

“I think our sand volleyball program will be strong, just like our current volleyball team(s),” said Principal Dan Serrano. “I’ve kind of been reluctant to do it because we don’t have courts on campus that we can use.”

As of now the sand team will practice and host home games at Seville. This is a relief as over half of their schedule is home games.     

Sand volleyball will be a women’s only team, mostly comprised of court players that want to double as sand players as well. Coach Fred Mann, who is currently the women’s volleyball varsity coach, has committed to coaching the sand team as well.

“So this is my 24th year as an indoor coach. I did 20 years at Mountain Point and this is my fourth year at Perry,” says Coach Mann. He is looking forward to sand volleyball becoming a sanctioned sport.

“Now that we’re officially an AIA sport, it means it’s not like a club.” An AIA sanctioned sport differs from a school club sport in a couple ways. First, club sports do not count for rankings or tournaments. It is purely for the competition. Second, the school has to fund all sports teams that are sanctioned by the AIA.

This has not stopped progress though as the roster is set and the schedule is out for the sand team’s first season. The team is composed of girls from all levels, from the freshman to the varsity teams.

Senior Amanda Aguirre played on the indoor varsity team this last season and is playing for the sand team as well. As far as the team goes, Amanda said, “I think we will be really good because we have some girls with a lot of experience and some with less experience but playing together we help each other out.”

Teamwork will play a role in the success of the sand team because according to beach volleyball rules only two players are allowed on the court. The girls must rely on their own skills as well as their partner.  

The girls will have their work cut out for them this season as they are scheduled to play the defending champs, Xavier. Aguirre commented, “I know that Corona and Xavier have had sand at their school for a long time. We played Basha (Feb. 28) so that is always a rivalry game.” As of press time, the girls are undefeated against Basha, Chaparral and Chandler High.

There are big expectations for the new sand team. Only time will tell how well the girls holds up against more experienced competition.