Girls volleyball is seeing a rise in popularity at Presque Isle High School. For reference, 29 girls signed up to try out on Monday, February 26, compared to the 20 girls last year. There could be a lot of reasons behind this.

One reason could be the new NCAA rule that now allows a for the setter, or whoever needs to touch the ball on the second contact, to quickly touch the ball twice.

Also, volleyball is also not like the regular sports seasons which last for months. The PIHS volleyball season is only two to three weeks long.

Regardless, why were there suddenly more numbers? Who are all the new kids? “This is my first year on the team, but I’ve been playing with my sisters since I was probably in fifth grade because they played on the high school team when they were in high school,” Lydia Bragdon ’27 said. 

Although the team has some people who have never played before, there are some returning players. What made them want to stick with it all these years? “I started playing on the team my freshman year. I played at a camp the summer before and fell in love with the sport,” Lexi Morningstar ’24 said.

From a coach’s point of view, what is it like to see more people take interest in your sport? “It’s good for the school’s team, because the more people you have to choose from, the more people you have to choose for your team,” coach Spencer Bragan said. “I think we had a lot of sign ups because one, we have been quite successful, and I think the girls have fun and they see other people having fun and they want to be a part of it.”