Volleyball is back at JCS!

Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.

After a gap of several years, Jefferson County Schools (JCS) once again has a volleyball program, with a full schedule for both junior varsity and varsity players. Most team members are new to the sport but feel excited to be learning how to coordinate their efforts to block, dig, bump, set, spike and score. Participating in any sport has benefits, but volleyball is a game that offers a lifetime of opportunities to play, both recreationally and competitively. The Lady Tigers who have joined this year's teams are building their physical skills as well as positive bonds that come through teamwork and communication toward achieving a common goal. They started practicing back in June, just two weeks after summer break started. Notably, they have kept at it consistently all summer long and are now just a few games into a busy season. Some players have been willing to give the sport a try just because they've enjoyed playing another sport with their coaches, Taylor Clemens and Trey Thomas. Once the tried it, they liked it!

The Coaches

Volleyball Head Coach Taylor Clemens was born and raised in Monticello. She began participating in athletics when she was attending Jefferson County High School. Being on the softball and volleyball teams helped her develop many skills and brought her many honors, including Most Valuable Player and Best Offensive Player awards. After graduation, she attended Albany State University on a softball scholarship and earned a degree in elementary education.
She started her career as a teacher and coach right there in Albany, Ga., and then moved back to her hometown of Monticello to join the JCS faculty. She currently teaches Fourth Grade Science and coaches volleyball and softball. Clemens has also recently taken on a leadership role in re-establishing a chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes on the JCS campus.
As a coach, Clemens finds it satisfying to see how the players directly benefit from their athletic participation by being physically fit, feeling a sense of belonging and practicing a healthy outlet for stress. In addition, Clemens wants her players to see how participating in volleyball – or any sport – develops important life skills they can use off the field their whole life. Being an athlete, she says, teaches a person how to react with discipline when things don't go their way. It also gives experience learning new skills in a competitive environment, trains the mind in critical thinking skills and reinforces the value of teamwork.
This year with the volleyball team, Clemens says she would love to see some wins, but she knows this is a foundation year for building a love of the sport in her players so that they will want to play again next year. The team is making incredible progress, now adding game experience to all of their summer training. She's pleased to hear from the competition's coaches that they see a great attitude in the JCS players and notice the improvement being made, even within one game, from the opening plays to the final serve.
Most of all, Clemens values the relationship she is able to establish with each person on the team. She appreciates the opportunity to be a role model, to be that leader who will guide them, to be someone they can trust and talk to.
Assistant Volleyball Coach Trey Thomas came to JCS last year after three years of coaching girls basketball at Florida High. At JCS, Thomas teaches elementary PE classes and coaches for flag football, girls basketball and volleyball. His favorite part of coaching the volleyball team is watching everyone improve every day.
Most of the players have had no previous exposure to the sport of volleyball, he notes, because there are no local youth leagues for volleyball. It's exciting, he says, to be a part of making volleyball an opportunity for students at JCS once again.

The Seniors

Christina Walker played Lady Tigers Volleyball in sixth grade and is happy to have the chance to play the sport at the varsity level during her senior year at JCS. At 5'2” she loves to spike the ball and also set the ball for teammates to hit. She works hard to get the ball to the net and also enjoys being a leader on the team, teaching others the skills she has developed. Walker appreciates the way her academics and her athletics benefit each other. She knows that if she doesn't have her school work done, she won't get to play. After graduation, Walker plans to attend North Florida College and become a registered nurse.

Desiree Young is playing volleyball for the first time this year, and she loves it. Partly the joy comes from getting to play a sport with all of her friends, but she also likes doing an activity that is both competitive and fun at the same time. At 5'2” tall, she enjoys making the extra effort to save balls when they go out of bounds, sprinting to hit the ball back in and even diving for it if need be. She feels she has an important role on the varsity team of bringing up morale and helping keep spirits positive at all times. She appreciates the support system her coaches have created to build her skills and improve her game. She hopes this season will result in strong bonds with her teammates. After graduation, she plans to attend a university and study psychology.

Annastasia Bellavigna is learning the sport of volleyball this year as a member of the junior varsity team, who also sometimes fills in on the varsity team. A friend invited her to give volleyball a try, and she found it very enjoyable. At 5'8” tall, she concentrates during the game on bumping the ball to a teammate to set. She wants to improve her serve this year and hopes the teams overall will do well. After graduating from high school, she looks forward to more time to enjoy horseback riding and also hopes to start a family.