Written By: Victoria Williamson ~ Assistant Sports Editor
Women’s Beach Volleyball player SJ Yanz hits the ball over. Photographed by LHSN.
As the Lynchburg Women’s Beach Volleyball Team’s season approaches, players and acting head coach Olivia Killelea are steadily preparing.
With their first tournament weekend occurring in the next few weeks on Feb. 23-24 at St. Andrews University, returning sophomore SJ Yanz is looking forward to working with the team before gameplay begins.
“I’m excited to see the team’s growth from the beginning to the end. We all love to be around each other and have huge amounts of respect for every single one of our teammates,” said Yanz.
Currently named acting head coach for the team, Olivia Killelea has identified the girls’ anticipation for the season ahead, “This team is so young and has yet to accomplish everything that they can. They are eager to work hard and get better every day so it motivates me to do my job well to put them in the best position for success,” she said.
This being the second year Lynchburg has had its beach volleyball team, freshmen are excited to make a difference as they reach their full potential. One freshman in particular, Laney Burns, hopes to continue to improve as the season goes on and becomes more grueling.
“I plan on working on my confidence and pushing myself to be the best player and teammate I can be even when things get hard. It’s easy to say ‘I’m a freshman and I have 4 more years to get better’ but someday it’s all going to come to an end and I know I will regret not putting my all into everything we do,” said Burns.
The future’s looking bright for this team, their fresh spirits and hard work ethic pushing them towards a strong start to the season.
For the schedule of upcoming tournaments, visit Lynchburg Women’s Beach Volleyball Schedule.