As winter sports come to an end, the Geneva Boys’ Volleyball team is gearing up to start their spring season. Regardless of everything going on with COVID, masks, and school, the team is prepared to take the court.

The boys had a disappointing ending two years ago when COVID hit; their season was cancelled. It was a great let-down because they were so ready to play an entire season just for it to be cancelled entirely.

Head Girls Varsity Volleyball Coach and Boys’ Varsity Assistant Coach Lauren Kosecki is a Geneva alum. Coaching the boys’ team while the head coach is on maternity leave, Kosecki is excited to begin the season.

“I am extremely excited for this upcoming season,” she said. “We lost several key seniors last year and I am looking forward to seeing how this group has made progress in the off season,”

Kosecki has played Division I Volleyball as part of her collegiate career and is excited to see what this years’ group of seniors do after their last season.

“It is going to be a totally different team!” she said.

AS the year continues with COVID protocols still in place, this year will be similar to last year, but it hopes to not affect the team as much.

“Last year there was so much going on with Covid during the season,” she said. “I am hoping that the season will not be affected at all by Covid.  Biggest challenge we have is having to communicate with parents and schools depending on each schools’ protocols.”

Trying to figure out what other schools’ rules are about COVID will be tough, but the players will also have to endure the hardships that come along with it. They strive to have a positive mindset to be prepared for the season.

“I am very excited and looking forward to playing,” Senior Outside Hitter Daniel Youman said. “I expect us to win a regional and for myself to get an all-conference award. I want us to win a regional.”

Although the real work goes down during the actual season, pre-season is just as important.

“In the pre-season I’m playing club and hitting the gym,” Youman said.

The sport of volleyball operates on the trust of teammates. The players are already close as they are lifting and hitting the court together.

“We are currently doing lifting and open gyms,” Kosecki said. “I know many of the boys are playing club and this is huge to help prepare them for the season.

Goals for the season are what makes a team great, and for this team, they have plenty.

“As always, we want to do well in conference and to win a regional,” Kosecki said. “The biggest thing for me is that we come into the gym every day and work hard and make progress. Throughout the season, I want to see that we are finishing better than we start.”

As the seasons in the past have either been shortened or cancelled all together, Youman has a lot of things to be excited about for this year.

“I’m most excited for team dinners and hanging out with the team,” he said.

The boys’ season will kick off against South Elgin on March 21^st, and the crowd is excited to watch how far they will go.