This volleyball season has brought fresh leadership and energy to the court.
Rebekah Ann Cruz, a fifteen-year-old sophomore, and Serafina Hamo, a sixteen-year-old junior, are the new first-year captains for the GHS girls volleyball team. Both born and raised locally, Rebekah and Serafina have brought their unique personalities and strengths to the team. Rebekah loves to sing, while Serafina enjoys binge-watching her favorite shows in her free time.
Both captains admitted that the role of captains felt a bit intimidating at first. “When I first found out I was going to be captain, I hated the idea of telling off my team or being a leader, because I didn’t know how to,” Rebekah said. Serafina agreed, adding that she was initially worried since “there were a lot of people who she believed would be more qualified.” But Serafina is ultimately grateful for the opportunity.
At the start of the season, both captains looked forward to spending time with friends and improving together as a team. Serafina said she was “just really glad to be able to exercise every day and spend time with the people on volleyball.” She describes her teammates as fun and supportive.
However, the season came with challenges, especially adjusting to new coaches and players. “It was really difficult at the beginning, because we didn’t all know each other very well,” Serafina shared. “But as the season went on, we got closer together. And it helped us play better.” Rebekah also mentioned that the team went through multiple coaching changes, which made practice more complicated at first.
Despite these changes, the team created strong traditions that united them. Before each game, they would huddle up and pray to focus their mindset and become motivated. “It helped boost our energy and made our mindset better before playing,” Rebekah said. Serafina added that the team always had a pep talk before games, to clear out all the negativity and remind everyone to just “play, have fun and do our best.”
Reflecting on the season, both captains are proud of how much the team has grown together. “At the beginning, we didn’t play well together,” Serafina said, “but by the end of the year, we could tell we were more connected, both socially and in the game.” Rebekah further explained that team bonding events outside of volleyball helped them “gel better together.”
Looking ahead to next season, both captains already have ideas for how they’d like to improve. Rebekah hopes to “bring more energy to practice, especially when things start to feel low.” Serafina wants to focus on communication, “helping teammates more when they’re struggling and keeping better contact with the coaches.”
Although this season didn’t mirror our program’s past CIF-winning team from two years ago, both captains see this as a year of rebuilding. “Everyone was new,” Serafina said. “This season was really an introduction, something to get us ready for next year, because no one’s perfect the first time we play together.” Rebekah added that while the team is younger and less experienced now, their drive to improve remains strong.
Through leadership, learning and teamwork, Rebekah and Serafina are guiding the GHS volleyball team into a new chapter, one built on resilience, connection and a shared love of the game.
If you are interested in joining next year’s girls volleyball team, please contact Ms. Carbajal at [email protected].
