Parker Dunn is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Horizon Honors High School for AZPreps365.com.

Going into the 2020 season, the Horizon Honors girls volleyball team had many challenges ahead of them. From the lack of experience on the team all the way to the difficult opponents they were scheduled to face, there were many obstacles.

Yet one of the biggest challenges is one that nobody could have predicted at the conclusion of last season. 

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many changes to all of high school sports in Arizona and the regulations put in place to allow safe play among student athletes throughout the state. It comes as no surprise that strict rules are to be followed, such as wearing a mask while warming up, limited interaction among one another outside of the court and many more guidelines that affect the players during practice. 

“There are no locker rooms open and there are no water fountains available, so they have to make sure to bring enough water with them,” said coach Amanda Bors. 

What does come as a surprise is the requirement of the Eagles’ girls volleyball team to wear masks during their games because of unique school policy independent of the AIA, which only enforces this rule during warmups.

As you can imagine, this has created some unique challenges for the members of the team. 

“We don’t have spectators, but also our school has mandated that the girls must wear their masks the entire time, whereas the AIA only requires them during warmups and on the bench, so that’s actually a huge challenge for our girls because the masks make it a lot more difficult to communicate on the court so it’s kind of a disadvantage for our girls,” Bors said.

Communication is a crucial aspect of the game to any team, but especially for Horizon Honors considering the fact the team is so young and inexperienced. The Eagles have not had enough time to build chemistry as a unit, making their ability to talk on the court that much more significant. They are currently 8-9 on the year under these circumstances. 

“It makes communication a lot more difficult. However loud we are (we) still end up not being loud enough, so we have to double our volume even more than that and it's still hard to hear each other and leads to missed plays,” said Caitlyn Nichols, a junior middle back.

“Yes, it can be difficult on the court to read your teammates' facial expressions. Communication is a huge part of volleyball and everyone is doing their best given the current state of things,” said Evelyn Streit, a sophomore outside hitter.

All of the members of the Eagles team have noticed the difficulty that this has created. One way or another, each player feels the effect that this rule has had. 

“Communication with the setter is much more challenging because we have to talk much louder, and the inability to see other’s' mouths makes it more difficult to communicate our plays without the other team hearing us,” said Elizabeth Stover, a junior outside hitter. “During rallies, it also takes much more energy to make your voice heard, since the masks cover a lot of the sound.”

Another factor that plays a significant role in the team’s ability to compete at the highest level possible is their energy levels since the masks make it more difficult to breath. That mixed with having no fans to provide the team with much needed energy has all been a disadvantage for the team. 

“One of the challenges this season is without having fans there to help pump them up and get them excited to maintain that high energy the whole time is really difficult,” Bors said. 

Each player finds themselves being affected by this differently, but there is no doubt that these masks force them to approach the game in unique ways. Whether it be the way they control their breathing or the way they view the game, each one sees the situation as a new challenge.

“Yes, wearing a mask can often fatigue us quicker. The different cardio levels of each player determine how much this impacts them, but it is definitely harder to take in oxygen, and to maintain the same amount of energy throughout the game as we previously would have,” Stover said.

“The masks are thin, so they don't really make it harder to breathe, they do however make it hotter in gyms since our face is being covered so that ends up making us tired maybe a little faster, but not way too much,” Nichols said.

Horizon Honor’s small roster makes subbing out tired players unattainable, but fortunately for Bors, the team is rallying around each other and making the most of the challenging situation that they are face to face with. 

“We have a lot of girls who have stepped up and are trying to fill bigger shoes than maybe they’re necessarily ready for,” Bors said. “I don’t think there is just one person, I think pretty much most of the girls have stepped up pretty big to try and do their best and fill that role.” 

One thing is for certain with this team, there are no excuses to be made with this determined Hawks group. They have vowed to not let this setback get in the way of their 2020 season, considering they are all very grateful they are even able to compete in the middle of a global pandemic. 

“Although many were not thrilled to be required to wear masks during gameplay, we all have worked as a team to keep spirits high and look on the bright side. We have all been given an amazing opportunity to have a 2020 season, and because of this we work extra hard to make sure that this obstacle does not put us at any disadvantage under other teams,” Stover said.

“I think that it can be easy to make excuses for yourself and your team when times get challenging, but it is important to rise to the occasion,” Streit said.