Several Cougar boys’ varsity volleyball players are part of the 17s team at Pacific Rim Volleyball Club in Pleasant Hill. Senior Stephen Buhl, Junior Joe Worsley, and Freshmen Gage Worsley and Jack Eisner compete in the year round club team and travel to various tournaments around the nation.
Coach Roger Worsley, father of students Joe and Gage Worsley, is more than excited about the upcoming season. In the past, he has coached tennis, baseball, and softball before finally deciding that volleyball was the sport he really wanted to coach. “I kept coming back to volleyball,” he said. Roger Worsley established the club himself with the help of his 2 sons, both of whom are on his 17s team, after other parents pushed him into making his own club. He also found that all of the teams he looked into lacked consistency, something he wanted his sons to have.
Buhl feels as though Pacrim is also a good way to prepare for the high school season. “Pacrim definitely pushes you a lot harder. It makes the Campo season a lot easier,” he said. Pacrim is also “a lot faster and the teams are a lot better.”
Buhl started out at Campolindo on the Junior Varsity team and was picked up by Pacrim. The four boys from Campolindo also share a strong bond. “Especially with Joe Worsley. We have been able to click,” he said. At Campolindo and Pacrim, Buhl plays middle hitter and outside hitter. He also occasionally plays right hitter at Pacrim.
Boys have traveled from Fresno and Texas just to be on this team. “We’ve got notoriety and respect,” Roger Worsley said. He also believes that his team is the “strongest ever.” Roger Worsley recalls a total of 5 losses in the 4 years the team has been together.
This year, rather than being worried about upcoming tournaments, Roger Worlsey is excited. “SCVA is always a great tournament,” he said. SCVA is the Southern California Volleyball Association affiliated with USA volleyball. This year’s biggest tournaments will be regionals in May, Far Westerns in Northern California in April, and Southern California Volleyball Association that will take place in early January. It is a preview of the National Championships held in May.
Their toughest competition is the Huntington Beach Club from Southern California.
While the Pacrim team is made up of 17-year-olds, they also play against 18-year-old teams.
The team is made up of 4 students from Campolindo as well as 8 students from other high schools. Since the majority of the team has been together since they were in 8th grade on the 14s team, they have a strong bond. “The core group of 14s has stayed together all these years,” Joe Worsley said.
According to Joe Worsley, “The big picture goal is national championships in July.” Although they are not far into the season, Roger Worsley has his sights set on doing an amazing job in Southern California as well.
Last year, the team finished 5th in the gold bracket and 3rd in California. Roger Worsley hopes they will make it to the top 3 in the country and hopefully be the national champions.
The team practices in Pleasant Hill, twice on the weekends an once on the weekdays.
