Wilbur Wright Women’s Volleyball Defeated by Malcolm X College

By: Jacob Castillo

The September 5th game against Malcolm X College Women’s Volleyball is in the books, the Rams fell 1-3. Coach Kayla Palmore and her team are looking out for the more challenging teams on the schedule like Olive-Harvey, South Suburban College, Morton College, and Carl Sandburg. 

When asked about her philosophy around coaching, she replied, “I definitely think hard work beats talent just because sometimes when people are talented, they feel like they don’t have to work as hard. Whereas somebody who isn’t as talented, they are constantly working hard to be as talented as they can be.”

  It was agreed upon by Coach Palmore, and Michelle Gonzalez, outside 2, that after the match there is more communication needed to be clear on the court. 

Teammates ran into each other and someone had ultimately gotten in the way, which led to the ball dropping – scoring Malcom’s last winning point. 

Referring to what the team needs to work on, Coach Palmore stated “We have to stay disciplined to the fundamentals and we have to communicate. That’s the only way that we’re gonna win.”

Coach Palmore responds that for future games, “We just need to be ready to play and we need to be ready to lay it on the line for every point. Every point is [a] game point.”

After Malcolm X won the first two sets, the third set was the closest with the constant tying back and forth between both teams. The Rams were relentless in their final moments, whether they had won the game.

Perpetual Dike tosses the ball up for a serve against Malcolm X. Photo by Jacob Castillo

Near the end, their ferocity shined bright. They never gave up until the final score: (25-22, 25-19, 25-21). Gonzalez boasts her fellow teammates for the improvement they’ve made individually and as a team since first convening in the summer. 

“Even after every loss, I’m really proud of my team…”, Gonzalez explains that through open gyms and practices, she’s gotten to know the girls on her team and vice versa.

Everyone has been improving since day one and they’ll keep improving as the season progresses. While they are approaching the sixth game of the season, you can tell that this team is not ready to back down after four matches; they’re only just getting ready.

Contrib​​ution to Arielle Canchola