Volleyball

Student Reporter: Heather Hoffmann


The Rocket volleyball program has three coaches for the varsity, junior varsity, and freshman teams. All of the coaches have had experience playing volleyball in the past. Varsity coach Vanessa Navis played volleyball in high school as well as in college. She lives in Cedar Grove and teaches 3rd grade in the elementary school. This is her first year of coaching for the varsity level, but she has coached the eighth grade and freshman levels before. Junior varsity coach Bethany Swart is from Michigan and has recently moved to the area. She will be leaving next year to travel with her husband. The freshmen coach is Brad Mayer. Brad Mayer is one of the two high school gym teachers at Cedar Grove-Belgium High School.


Coach Navis tells the girls that “Encouragement is the key to our success.” Now the varsity team has not gotten off to the best start, but they are quickly improving. They have only won four matches. They just recently played Elkhart Lake and won. The team hopes to do well in their next upcoming tournament at Howards. Coach Navis tells the girls that “Encouragement is the key to our success.”


The team that in the end still comes together is the junior varsity team. They have a great group of girls working hard together to succeed. Junior Varsity has two foreign exchange students, Anna-Sophie Thieke and Iwona Czochra. Anna, who is from Germany, has played for the last two years. Iwona, who is from Poland, has played for the last three years. Both girls are excited to be part of team.


The freshmen are off to a rough start considering the fact that they had to switch coaches in the beginning of the season. They hope the new coach will lead them to success. They have so far won four of their matches.


Even through the many struggles and changes each team has faced they hope to continue to grow as individuals as well as a team as a whole and conquer their future opponents.