Whistles buzz throughout the gym, opposing teams excitedly cheer while stomping the floor, and boys with red arms dive toward the hardwood floor to save the ball from hitting the ground on the volleyball court.

         Volleyball is a tough sport and requires skill and thought, according to Austin Keller, freshman. The teams take their practice seriously, and the long hard practices produce success, he said.

         The boys’ volleyball program started only five years ago. Since then, two teams have developed: junior varsity and varsity. Over the years, players have stood out and the team records have improved, Lesly Ravenscraft, varsity volleyball coach, said.

         “Some key players are Chris Carmody [senior], Colton Every [senior], and Michael Savio [sophomore],” Ravenscraft said. “Chris and Colton are actually looking forward to playing in college. Chris is looking to play at St. Ambrose and Colton is going to play at Nazareth in New York.”

         Chris Carmody, senior, has been playing for 13 years and is going to St. Ambrose in Danport, Iowa, because he was given a volleyball scholarship.

         “I consider [volleyball] a tough sport because there are a lot of people playing it and there are only a few division one teams in the nation, so it’s hard to get in,” Carmody said.

         Carmody and Every are able to play at a college level because they are all around players, Ravenscraft said.

         “[Carmody and Every] are a good back row, good at serving, get a lot of aces and hits, and are good all around,” Tommy Orchard, freshman, said.

            Various skills are required to be a key player on any team in volleyball, according to Keller.

         “There are so many different skills you need to know to be successful at this sport. You need to know how to bump, set, spike, jump serve, serve, and more,” Keller said, “You have to know a bunch of different things, like rotations, which differs from other sports. It’s partially a mental sport. You have to think where you’re at on the court and you have to transition to different spots all them time. It’s really complex.”

         Carmody said volleyball demands a player to be skillful in multiple aspects.

         “A good volleyball player needs to be athletic, able to jump high, and be a smart person on the court,” Carmody said.

         The teams practice for two hours everyday after school and occasionally Saturday to prepare for the 15 games and four tournaments in their season. Within the season, both coaches and students have goals to accomplish.

         “One of our main goals for varsity this year is to beat Vernon Hills and Stevenson, local rivals, because the players know a lot of the kids on the teams from club. Another goal is to win regionals. The past year we went 17-17 so we also want to improve on that,” Ravenscraft said.     

         As his last year as a LZHS volleyball player, Carmody has some goals, too.

         “My goal is to make it to the finals in regionals, and make it to sectionals. I also want to beat Vernon Hills and Barrington because most of the players are on my club team,” Carmody said.

         Other than improving their record, creating a stronger team over the season is another goal the team is working towards throughout practice and games, Orchard said.

         “Our goal is to stay as a team together and don’t give up when it’s coming down to the end of the game. We don’t want to give up stupid errors,” Orchard said.

         The team is capable of improving and correcting these errors with the help of their coaches, Keller said.

         “[Amy Faith, junior varsity coach,] really helps you, and she’s helped me improve this year. She’s able to help multiple people at once, too. She knows when to be serious and when we can have fun,” Keller said.

         Orchard feels Ravenscraft is also always helpful and enjoys coaching the sport.

         “Coach Ravenscraft is awesome. Whenever I need help, I know I can ask her for advice. She’ll tell me what I am doing wrong and helps me with anything,” Orchard said.

         This is Ravenscraft’s fourth year coaching and third year being the varsity coach. She also coaches the girls’ volleyball sophomore team.

         “I’ve played sports as a kid ever since I was ten. I played volleyball in high school and intermurally in college,” Ravenscraft said. “I like the competitiveness of the sport and I like seeing the kids outside the academic environment. I like seeing them where they actually enjoy themselves.”

         As the academic school year and spring sports come to an end, the varsity team faces regionals.