AVON — Everything was a first for the Riverside High School volleyball team on Wednesday night — first winning point, first winning set and first game played.
It was the first time coach Chelsey Johnson-Weaver got to celebrate a winning moment with her players, and it was the first time the young ladies understood what it meant to play high school volleyball.
The Bulldogs fought valiantly the entire match against McEvans High School before falling in five sets (25-20, 14-25, 14-25, 25-22, 14-16). Not bad for a school playing a volleyball game for the first time in the history of the school.
“I actually knew that we would do well,” Coach Johnson Weaver said. “They have been working so hard these last few weeks. They really want to be good, and that is a great place to start.
Johnson-Weaver, a Starkville native, moved to the Delta just three weeks ago after coaching at Moss Point High School for a few seasons on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. She is a former college athlete who played college basketball at Meridian Community College.
“I came to Riverside because I wanted to be closer to home,” she said.
“The Delta is the only place in Mississippi I have never lived, and I wanted to be here and find out what it is like.”
Johnson-Weaver said her team has a long way to go if it wishes to accomplish its goal and compete for a district title.
“The good news is that all the teams in our district are starting new volleyball programs too,” she said. “
We Basically are just trying teach them fundamentals. We want to make sure they have the fundamentals down and they understand the rules.”
The Bulldogs were scheduled to begin their volleyball program last season, but it was canceled because of COVID-19.
Riverside junior Alexis Kilgore said she is thrilled to be playing volleyball this fall. Kilgore, a star pitcher on the Riverside softball, used to have no other sports to play this time of year.
“It was really exciting and fun playing my first game,” Kilgore said. “I enjoyed learning something new.
“I really like volleyball. I love how competitive it is, and how we all showed good sportsmanship
“Coach Johnson is a really good coach. She teaches us a lot of new stuff everyday. She is very good at explaining what we did wrong and how we can correct it.”
