The notion that “a team is a family” is literally true for Campolindo’s boys’ volleyball with brothers Gage and Joe Worsley both in the lineup. The Worsley boys have been key contributors to the Cougar’s domination over the last 2 years.
Teaming up on the court is something that the Worsley brothers have been doing long before playing on the same high school team. “This is my 10th year playing club volleyball,” said Joe. “We’ve played together every single year.”
“Except one year,” added Gage.
According to Gage, the brothers have “a little bit of both” team chemistry and rivalry. He said, “Sometimes at practices we go at it at each other, but during games, we work together.”
“We fight. Blood has been poured. Not during games, but after games,” joked Gage.
Joe added, “After the matches, it gets a little heated.”
Varsity volleyball coach Dave Chen said that the sibling rivalry can raise the level of their play, and also provides moments of levity for the rest of the squad. “As brothers they know how to push each other’s buttons. That makes it rather entertaining as a coach and to their team to see them bicker every once in a while,” said Chen.
Junior teammate Sean Yamamoto said the brothers bring a lot to the team. “They’re ranked very highly nationally,” he said. “They teach everyone, and they’re really good teammates.”
The Worsley family is a volleyball family. The brothers, along with their father, a club volleyball coach, have been a part of the sport almost their whole lives. Chen said that there is “a little higher expectation on their execution during the game, as they are used to high level competition.”
“They grew up around the game and they grew up learning the game around each other. They know how to push each other which helps to maximize each other’s strengths,” Chen added.
On the court, the Worsleys are teammates as much as they are brothers. “They treat everyone equally,” said Yamamoto.
“The team requires everyone to integrate themselves to the group success. That’s the only way the team and the program can succeed. The team is not just the Worsley brothers,” Chen said.
According to Joe, the brothers’ goal was to repeat as NCS and NorCal Champions. “This is our last year of playing club together. We won nationals last year. We won national EPS championship goals this year,” he said of their accomplishments to date.
For Gage, a personal goal is to win “a huge tournament in San Diego called the Mega Bowl.”
The brothers’ familiarity with each other’s style helps them to better collaborate during games. According to Gage, during games the brothers often use a kind of “telepathy. We think without even saying anything. Sometimes I hear his voice in my head,” he said.
Joe said, “We’ve been playing together for a while so we understand each other’s game. Some people call that telepathy. We always know where each other will be during plays.”
“Brothers have a unique understanding of each other and seem to always know where the other will be on the court. You can see the cohesiveness when they play together,” said athletic director Tom Renno. “You can see how that benefits the team cohesion.”
“There’s an unspoken understanding and trust between the two that cannot exist unless they are close,” said Chen.
