By IRENE FEHER

Freshman volleyball junior varsity player Jonas Acebes has been working on spiking, blocking and diving in order to improve his skills and prepare for the volleyball season.

“The team has been preparing with basic offense and a lot of defense,” Acebes said, who plays as an outside. “We’ve been doing drills and basic warm-ups on diving, passing and returning spikes.”

The Birmingham Community Charter High School (BCCHS) volleyball season started on March 24 playing against Granada Hills Community Charter High School, which is one of their toughest opponents.

Freshman JV volleyball player Gabriel Rodriguez wants to improve on his jumping, digging and his defense. His goal for the season is being a better middle for the volleyball team.

“The team has been practicing a lot and have been working on everything,” Rodriguez said. “I need to work on my digging and my defense to be a better player.”

BCCHS JV volleyball team has played San Fernando High School, James Monroe High School and John H. Francis Polytechnic High School in its preseason, and won all the matches.

Based on the team’s performance, both Acebes and Rodriguez have confidence that their team will do well in their season.

“I think we’re going to do really good because we’ve been practicing and we’ve been gaining confidence over time,” Rodriguez said. “Also, we have more chemistry on the court as a team.”

Even though the BCCHS JV volleyball team has done well in their preseason, there’s still room for improvement for the team to perform better.

“The team has good positions like middles, opposites and libero. Spiking is also another one of our strengths,” Rodriguez said. “But we need to work on communication on the court and our defense, like digging and blocking.”

Acebes dreams big for his goal of his team and hopes for the best for his team.

“I want my team to be the best in the league and to get one of those banners in the gym from the city championships,” Acebes said.