As the end of the school year draws ever closer, the various spring sports played at Gables have finally arrived. One such sport is boys volleyball, a sport that is sometimes overlooked but is exciting and energetic nevertheless.

Pre-season practices for the Cavalier Volleyball team began on Feb. 18, when head coach Humberto “Tico” Govea held tryouts and ran his potential players through several drills and activities to assess their skill sets and potential. After the player selection was made the following week, daily practices commenced, running from 2:30 to 4:30 after school in the gym.

Typically, practices consist of players improving several of their key volleyball skills, like passing, setting and hitting, and they do so by going through different drills and scrimmages. The players usually get split into groups where they isolate one of the aforementioned skills and work on perfecting them to apply them in games. Furthermore, at the end of practice, the players split into teams to practice game scenarios and work on team chemistry. All the energy and dedication left out on the court during the preseason practices has proven to be significant so far this season, as the players currently hold a 2-1 winning record under their names.

During the first game of the season, the team put up a strong fight against Western Hialeah. However, as they were missing several key players in Patrick Ales, Sutton Payne, and Thomas Harley, the team was unable to come out with the victory, losing three sets to one.

In their second game, however, the team was able to turn things around when they played International Studies Prep. They saw far greater performances in this game, and they won three sets to none by final scores of 25-10, 25-14 and 25-21. One of the primary reasons for their success was through their star hitter, senior Arturo Diaz-Dube, who played very well and helped the team preserve the lead with several big blocks and hits.

“I had so much fun going out there and playing with my team, and I was happy to help in getting our first win of the season,” senior Arturo Diaz-Dube said.

In the Cavs third game against Jackson High School, they swept the game three sets to none for the second game in a row with final scores of 25-10, 25-12, and 25-18. In this game, setter Patrick Ales had an expectional performance, giving great sets throughout the entire match, and allowing his teammates to tally over 15 spikes. Moreover, senior Rikson Fragoso, had a great day serving, serving over 10 straight successful attempts and decimating the other team’s hopes of winning.

“We played a great game against Jackson, beating them 3-0 and never even giving them the lead. I also think that based on what I’ve seen this year so far,  this year’s team will be much better than last year’s,” senior Matthew Wagner said.

As the season continues, be sure to wish the Cavalier Volleyball team luck throughout the remainder of the season! Go Cavs!