Erick Rodrigues also contributed to the reporting. Video by Kaoutar Wakaf.
The Malden High School Girls Varsity Volleyball Team had a home game against Revere High School on September 5th. It was a close game but Revere won 3-2.
Dan Jurkowski, Malden High School’s coach, started coaching at Malden High School five years ago. He coached the track team for one year, but then started coaching the Boys Junior Varsity (JV) Basketball Team and the Boys and Girls Varsity Volleyball Teams. He is also currently a new class advisor for the class of 2022.
He has very high expectations for the girls team. He stated that “[their] first goal is to win the Greater Boston League (GBL) and the second is to make it to States.” He explained that in the past, the team struggled and instead of having a short memory, “the girls let things build up.” Fortunately though, the team has been doing better this year.
The Girls Volleyball Team consists of seven seniors, with Brenda Dias and Julia Argueta as captains. Dias is the starting setter and Argueta is an all around player.
Argueta believes that she was chosen to be captain for the team because of the player she intends to be. She emphasized that she is “very involved and supports [her] team no matter what.” She also tries to always be positive, as it is essential when handling the team. Argueta explained that she is not always a “take charge” type of person, nor does she believe that she is the best player on the team, but she always makes sure to put “others before [herself]. Especially when it comes to [her] teammates.”
Argueta’s interest for volleyball started in the sixth grade when she took part in the Malden Recreational Volleyball Clinic at the Salemwood School, where she was taught new skills by former MHS volleyball players.
Although playing for a college volleyball team would be a dream for Argueta and has been her goal, she wants to balance school and outside activities once she goes to college. She will most likely be playing the sport for a club or at an intramural level.
Alongside Argueta is Brenda Dias. She believes that Jurkowski named her as one of the captains because of her energy. She stated that she “gets very loud, energetic, and intense during games. When [she] gets on the court, [she has] to be the loudest and put on good energy so that [her] teammates can receive that and reciprocate.”
Dias explained that she thinks “[the team] does best when [they] are fired up and [she] always like to push that within [her] teammates and get everyone excited. [She] also [tries] to make sure everyone has the right mindset going into a game or practice.”
Like Argueta, her interest in volleyball started when she was in sixth grade. She would always play with her family on camping trips and then started going to clinics at The Linden STEAM Academy. The clinic only went on for a month or so, but she says that she and her best friend, Brenda Freitas, the outside hitter on the team, “knew from there on out [they] were going to play volleyball, because [they] had so much fun playing. Then freshman year came and [she] and Freitas made sure to go to captains practice. The rest is history.”
Although Dias has less time for homework, she is grateful to have found a love for volleyball. “[She has] made lots of strong bonds and memories on the team and [she is] very happy [she] plays in good company.”
Her advice to players who hope to play varsity is “to enjoy it as much as you can because it passes by really fast. But, also maintain a close bond with your team because the only way a team is going to do well is if [they] have good chemistry and everyone is on the same page.”
She emphasized not to “waste anyone’s time if you are not willing to give 100%. Every game counts.”
Video of September 25th Girls Volleyball Game against Revere by Kaoutar Wakaf.
