The Divine Savior Academy Varsity Volleyball team has once again shown they have smarts not only on the court, but also in the classroom.
For the third year in a row, the team has been awarded the AVCA Team Academic Award. The American Volleyball Coaches Association honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that display excellence in the classroom during the school year by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale. The DSA team has managed to accomplish this while earning the District Championship title for the past four years.
Junior Sofia Lugo has had to learn to balance academics and athletics, especially since she is taking Honors courses this year. “My day pretty much involves going to school, practice, going home to eat, then doing homework until I go to bed.”
She warns about the dangers of procrastination and distractions. “I have learned to silence my phone and put it far away from me until my homework is finished.”
Team captain Fabiana Castro agrees. “I am a student-athlete not an athlete -student. Volleyball is my passion and I really hope to get a scholarship to play volleyball at a university, but I know I need school and an education to succeed in life.”
Castro has found ways to organize and prioritize her studies. “I always have something to work on while we are waiting. Something easy, that doesn’t require a lot of concentration. But at least I can use the time wisely.”
DSA Volleyball coach, Matt Willems, is very proud of his team. “In my opinion, this is a very impressive award. I would say this award ranks right up there with the team winning their District Championship from last year. The Lord has blessed the efforts of the girls both on and off the court so much, and I feel so blessed to be their coach. It’s important that we as coaches stress the student side of student-athlete just as much as the athlete side. It’s not easy balancing schoolwork, grades, and social time during the year, all the while working hard to get better on the court.
“The AVCA is a great organization and we are very happy to receive this award,” he continued.
Most observers agree, the Varsity Volleyball team is well on its way to defending the District Championship title and the community wished them great success.
