If turnout this fall is any sign, the volleyball program has certainly caught the attention of girls at Juanita High School.
“We had 52 girls come out for tryouts, and we had to whittle that down to 37 for three teams,” said second-year coach Rob Jammerman. “What’s amazing about the group that’s come in is the strength of the young players. This year, I’ve got two freshmen that are on varsity, which is pretty abnormal. I’m pretty sure that one will start and one will see significant playing time.”
Impressive, as the varsity team lost only one senior — middle blocker Riley Martin — to graduation. The Rebels return six varsity seniors, including all-league first-team hitter Makaela White.
Even with White’s leadership, Juanita struggled to find stable ground last season. The Rebels were swept in their first 11 matches last season, with the lone win coming 3-1 over Sammamish on Oct. 15.
White isn’t at all as some of the other top hitters in the league, at 5-foot-8, but Jammerman said she makes up for it in power.
“Every program hopes to have a player like that,” he said. You know that, if you get the ball to her, she can usually put the ball down or do something good with it. It’s going to be exciting to see her play this year.”
Senior blocker MacKenzie Boyce is expected to contribute as well, having played across the country with her club team. Senior libero Natalia Zuluaga, who transferred from Colombia at the beginning of last season and still played a full year for the Rebels, is back in the fold.
Juanita also returns senior setter Matea Marinkovic, who along with White has three years of varsity experience.
White said the difference between last season and this fall, with so many returning players, has been huge.
“It’s really nice because you can get a good tempo going,” she said. “Last year, no one had played together before, so it was kind of uncomfortable and unsure. Now, it’s more like a family and we can all read each other’s minds.”
Boyce wasn’t the only player participating in club volleyball in the offseason. Two years ago, the Rebels had three players with a club team, a number which has jumped to 12 since last fall. The difference has been evident, helping the younger players prepare for the high school varsity season without getting varsity minutes.
The added experience and a season of friendship — Juanita won the Sportsmanship award last season — have helped the Rebels to make major strides.
“It’s really comfortable because most of the players now were on the team last year,” Boyce said. “We were all bonding, building the team and now we know our strengths and weaknesses.”
Given where the program came from — struggling in 2015 after graduating 11 seniors from the 2014 squad — Jammerman’s season goal isn’t a lofty one.
“We want to have a winning record, and I think we have the pieces to do it,” he said. “With the senior leadership that we have, I think that we’ll be much better and we’ll be able to compete with the rest of the teams in KingCo.”
The Rebels are scheduled to begin the slate of league games against Liberty on Wednesday, Sept. 7. The home opener for Juanita is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 12 at Juanita High School.
