This August, Fairfax County Public Schools approved the addition of Varsity Boys Volleyball for the upcoming school year. This approval was a massive win for the sport and its growing popularity. Boys Volleyball is one of the fastest growing sports in America, and this is no exception for the Atoms.
When tryouts rolled around, “It was really fun and a very interesting experience,” said Head Coach and Social Studies teacher Will Hawthrone. “Even though it was most people’s first time playing volleyball, we were able to teach a lot of basic skills and technical abilities and advance really quickly.”
The Atoms inaugural home match versus the Falls Church Jaguars on August 27th. Although the Atoms fell to defeat, “Our first match against Falls Church was pretty fun despite the upsetting loss,” said Senior Tyson Perkins.
Even though the Atoms ended up on the wrong side of a 1-3 defeat, they fought hard and had many positive takeaways from the loss, “I’ve improved a ton as a passer and setter and the coaches have help me a lot to improve my technical abilities and confidence,” noted Perkins.
On September 5th, the Atoms defeated the Hayfield Hawks for the first ever win in program history! An amazing and memorable match was played as our boys won in 5 sets, winning 3-2. It was evident the team was much more comfortable.
The match was still far from perfect as there were still some missed rotations and communication issues but the Atoms had improved tremendously. “The Hayfield win was a great showing of how far we’ve come as a team in terms of our abilities but also our chemistry,” Perkins said.
The match was a nailbiter as the Atoms took the first set in a close but convincingly manner. The second and third sets were much different stories. The Atoms led for the beginning of the second set but lost focus and the Hawks battled back. The third set was a bad showing of effort and focus and it appeared the match was slipping from the Atoms hands. Hayfield now possessed a 1-2 lead and sensed victory.
Timeout was called by the Atoms and they regrouped. “[During the timeout] I was really proud of the guys, they were in their own heads a bit. We were able to calm ourselves, and have a great comeback win,” Hawthrone mentioned.
“After winning the fourth set we were in the driver’s seat with all the energy on our side.” In dramatic fashion, the Atoms came from behind to win 19-17 in the fifth and final set!
Now, the Atoms face the Edison Eagles and Mount Vernon Majors as they look to achieve a winning record and get over .500 for their inaugural season. After an impressive 3-3 record, a two-match win streak, lots of promise and potential showing, there is no doubt among the team and their supporters that they can accomplish this goal.
It is clear the players and coaches believe in each other, “We’ve done a really good job of coming together as a team and building this program from the ground up,” Hawthorne stated. “We’ve grown a ton since then and I’m proud of everybody from how we’ve started, to how far we’ve come, and how far we’re going to go.”
The Atoms Boys Volleyball team needs your support. Travel up the beltway as our boys look to avenge their early season loss versus the Jaguars. You can go to their next match tomorrow, 9/26 away at Falls Church. You can also follow the team on instagram @atoms_boysvb.
