Pablo Vargas is a sophomore at Glendale High School. Some of his favorite hobbies include playing the guitar, playing volleyball, and playing video games. These hobbies allow him to open up and make new friends at school. To stay on top of his schoolwork, he tries to get ahead of his assignments or stay up later.
Pablo is one of the captains of our boys JV volleyball team, along with Ryan Rascon. Pablo’s sister, Arianna, used to play for the GHS volleyball team, and she helped our girls win a state title two years ago.
His coach wanted Pablo to try out for the team, and so he did. Since then, he has been playing for two years. The biggest challenge he has faced as a captain is trying to teach and learn everyone’s rotation, because they often forget it. This part is especially important, because if they make an error, the team can lose points.
Pablo believes that the most important volleyball skills are serving and passing. “Without them, you can’t play at all,” he said. For people who don’t know, serving is what begins the rally and is the only time that a player has full control of the ball. Passing is how a team runs a good, effective offense. When there are new or inexperienced players, Pablo tries to get them out of their comfort zone so that they can improve and develop the skills needed for the game.
During difficult games, Pablo tries to give his teammates “positive feedback and cheer them on.” He tries to make every player feel included by being their friend and talking to them consistently to build trust. Pablo wants the team to be positive, to communicate and to stay focused throughout games and practice.
During practices, the gym is split into two sides, one for JV and the other for varsity. “We usually do warm-ups and do passing or hitting drills,” Pablo said. They practice this so every skill stays in their muscle memory, and the team builds confidence using those skills during games.
Pablo hopes that this season they improve, work well together and succeed in games. He wants everyone to support one another so that they can perform well and put forth their best effort.
Keep on spiking success, Nitros!
