Over the semester, Venice has debuted a brand new sport: girls’ beach volleyball. The team is currently being coached by math teacher Charles Styrbicki.
The Gondoliers, 15-2, are now preparing for playoffs beginning April 29, after finishing the league season with a victory against the St. Monica Mariners.
With playoffs so far down the road, Styrbicki sees this break as beneficial.
“There’s always the conversation of rest versus rust,” he said. “It’ll benefit us because we have such a strong team, and how they play and practice together is high-intensity.”
The Gondoliers have only lost two games this entire season, against the Palisades Dolphins and the El Camino Real Royals.
Through preparing to go against these two highly competitive teams in the playoffs, alongside the Taft Toreadors, Styrbicki believes that it will “set us up for success against any team we’d face.”
Styrbicki expects the Gondoliers to have a high seeding in playoffs because of the Gondolier’s number two rank in the league, behind Palisades.
Junior Savannah Rozell, who plays first pair with sophomore Samantha Lortie, said that despite the adjustment period from indoor to outdoor volleyball, the team has shown success.
“Everyone has done a great job at adjusting, and everyone’s mindset and attitude is very positive,” she said.
Styrbicki emphasized how the team’s camaraderie has benefitted the team.
“It was a goal of mine that we’ve had more success than I was expecting, not that I didn’t think it could happen, but it was more because we’re a brand new program and that we’ve done very very well so far,” she said.
Styrbicki is excited, noting that the teams’ goal has been to “always win, to win the whole thing.”
“We’re trying to win a championship, so I’m excited to see how we do.”
