Melanie Gonzalez And Madison Rivera

On September 14, 2023, the girl’s volleyball team won a scrimmage against Bronx Science High School.  With hours of training every day, it’s easy to wonder how these talented athletes motivate themselves. Doris Ku, Cardozo Girls Volleyball team player, expressed, “Friends are the motivation, the love for the sport comes from the friends on the team.” 

Another player, Isabella, stated that her motivation is, “being the best I can be, and overall, maybe get a scholarship.” Everyone on the team has the motivation to keep on going, every day working harder and being better than they were yesterday. 

The girls on the team train hard, both physically and mentally. Serves, stretching, and practice games are some of the many ways the girls train as a team. The Cardozo Girl’s Volleyball Team serves as an inspiration to upcoming athletes and students in general. The team always keeps on going, no matter what obstacles they may come across. 

The man behind the games and training, and helping motivate players, is Coach Scarola. He guides these young girls to victory time and time again. When asked what motivated him to become a coach in the first place, Coach Scarola stated, “I wanted to give back and see it all come together.” Scarola has been coaching for 23 years and is still going strong as a Cardozo High School coach to this day. 

As with any sport, the girls do try their hardest to win, but it’s not always bound to happen. How do they deal with losses as a team? “There are always better teams, so we always continue working on gameplay, and helping them emotionally is very important,” Scarola said.

In terms of playing for the Varsity Volleyball team, any student who is interested can inquire more with Scarola. In addition, all students have to do is go on to the school website and access the Fall Tryouts page. “Continue to work hard, and learn from the current team,” Scarola said. Who knows, you could be the next addition to the Cardozo High School team.