Emily Wygal, Sydney Jones, Raine Wilson and Riley Coker each walked out alongside their parents on the Central Beach sands as their teammates surrounded, cheering them on.
April 18 was a day to celebrate the soon-to-graduate seniors as they faced up against their opponent Clairemont High School for one of their last games wearing a Coronado High School jersey.
Their sophomore year, these players saw girls beach volleyball transition from a club to a CIF-recognized sport. Their senior year, they welcomed in change once again as an entirely new coaching staff took over the program.
Head Coach Ginny Alexander said she “couldn’t have stepped into a better situation with a group of seniors.”
“They’re an incredible group of young women,” said Alexander. “They have a lot of ability that I think was unrecognized and I think they are realizing now how good they really are and they’ve stepped up.”
Alexander saw that potential from the beginning of the season when she decided to appoint all four seniors as co-captains of the team – a role she says they have excelled in. The four girls currently hold a combined 48-12 win record, each senior holding down a spot in the top seeds.
Seniors play an integral role on the team
Wygal has moved around between the first and second seed, and is currently paired in the second with Jones.
“[Wygal] right out of the gate with me has been a leader,” said Alexander. “We’ve had her with a couple different partners and she adjusts and talks through it in a very adult, mature manner. I’ve asked her to do some things, step up, and she has never even resisted that opportunity and has done it in a really positive way. She’s going to be someone who leads quietly in whatever she does.”
Her partner, Jones, is just as integral to the success of the second seed team, according to Alexander.
“[Jones] has no idea how good she is and she has hit some balls that are just jaw droppers. We watch her go up and hit straight down and everybody is just in awe of her ability,” said Alexander.
Wilson and Coker compete as partners in the third seed. While Wilson began playing volleyball just a year ago, Alexander describes her as a “super big asset to [their] lineup.” As one of the taller players on the team, she has excelled in blocking and hitting, and has seen significant improvement in her ball control, according to Alexander. Coker is what Alexander calls the “ultimate teammate.”
“She just wants to be a part of the team. She’s funny, she’s gregarious, she can be serious when she needs to be. She’s just a fun person and she’s easy to talk to,” said Alexander. “I don’t think she realizes how much better she has gotten since the beginning of the season as compared to now.”
The conclusion to their volleyball careers
Now, as their season draws to a close – with their game against Clairemont signifying the end of conference play, the seniors look back on not just a successful season, but an end to their competitive volleyball career.
Wilson describes this feeling as bittersweet.
“I’m super sad to see it coming to an end,” said Wilson. “I’ve been so thankful for the opportunity to play on the beach of Coronado. ”
All of these athletes were inspired in one way or another to pick up the sport by a family member who played. For Wilson and Jones it was their mom; Wygal, her sister and Coker, her older brother.
During their time at CHS, they spent their fall season playing indoor volleyball and their spring season on the beach courts. This time around, their senior night holds a different significance for them.
“I knew I was going to see most of those girls again [after indoor volleyball senior night] so it was more like the loss of indoor itself and the coach,” said Wygal. “Versus now, it’s more heavy because it’s coming up on the end of the year, so everything is kind of coming to a close.”
Girls prepare to transition to college
While none of the graduating seniors have plans of competing for a college volleyball team, they all expressed hopes of continuing to play one way or another – whether it be on a club or intramural team.
Still each in the decision process of where they want to attend college, Alexander’s hope is to send the athletes off on the right foot.
“College is important, it’s a big step in their lives so I just want to help them in any way that I can,” said Ginny. “Whatever they decide is up to them, I support them fully and I just want them to know they have a lot of choices out there.”
