Boys volleyball could use 'bump' in fan support

By Lucy Joyce

Editorial Assistant 

Boys’ volleyball kicked off the season on April 3 at home, hoping to win the conference fair and square this year. The boys’ varsity team has expressed that they want a big warrior turnout in the stands.

The boys volleyball team plays its next game at home on 4/15 against Bradley-Bourbonnais. Photo courtesy of Ms. Belin.

Coach Belin has some big goals for the team this season. They want to do better than they did last season, when they tied for 1st in the Southland conference with Rich Township.

“Our first goal is to win the conference this year. I want to win it straight up. Our second goal is to advance further in the playoffs,” said Coach Belin, who has been with the program since its creation two years ago.

The team is one of the newest programs here at Crete-Monee. Its first season was in 2023, making this the program’s third year. The athletes involved feel that the program is less known because of this, and they want more support from the Warriors. 

“The student section isn’t as filled as I think it could be. I think the Warriors should come and support our boy’s volleyball team for the first home game,” varsity libero Jed Zaldarriaga, who has been part of the program since his freshman year, said.

Despite the program being fairly new, Coach Belin established the culture of boys’ volleyball at Crete-Monee early. The boys in the program value the relationships they have created in the program and the program’s values.

“I feel like it’s a brotherhood,” said Zyon Floyd, a junior outside who has been with the program since he was a freshman.

Returning athletes in the program are just as excited for the competition as Coach Belin, especially against the steepest competition in the conference, Rich Township and Bloom Trail.

“Rich Township has always been a solid team with good pieces, and I’m excited to play them this year and see the competition. I know some of the guys on Bloom because they play for the same club as me, and I can definitely see improvement from them, too. I believe what takes us over the top of both these schools is our experience,” Zaldarriaga said.

There are many underclassmen present in the program, including freshmen, on both JV and Varsity. As Zyon said, the program feels like a brotherhood, and feedback and guidance to younger players are part of that for upperclassmen.

“One piece of advice I would give anyone joining the program is to be confident and hustle. We always want to see effort when you play volleyball,” Zaldarriaga said.