Boom Goes The Dynamite: SP Athletes Pick Up Volleyball For First Time

Too often, entering high school serves as an unofficial mile post when student-athletes drop one or more sports in order to specialize in their primary sport.

For a group of Severna Park freshmen, entering high school was the perfect time to pick up a sport they’d never played before.

The Dynamite volleyball team, comprising nine ninth-graders and one eighth-grader, many of whom play lacrosse and other sports, formed this fall as its players decided to give volleyball a shot and play in the Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks league high school/U17 co-ed league.

The result was a season of fun and development, with many of the players progressing to the point of being legitimate contenders for their high school teams next season.

The Dynamite included Stella Bordone, Sophia Bordone, Megan DeFeo, Isabella Joyce, Isabel Baselga, Lola Blumenburg, Hope Collier, Grace Ferensic, Madi Holden and Emma Boyle. They were coached by Paul Joyce and Matt DeFeo.

Volleyball is a sport dominated by the club circuit at the youth level, and the Dynamite traveled outside their Severna Park residences to play representing Crofton.

“We had tough battles with teams from Crofton, Bowie and GORC, as all of our opponents had more experience,” said coach Joyce. “All of our players had experience in other sports, so we focused on the five basic volleyball skills and moved on to solid game strategy as the season moved on.”

With good athletes who enjoyed learning and training, the players hit their stride late in the season.

“We were unstoppable over the last three weeks of the season as we scored our highest number of points in our last two games,” Joyce said. “The coaches of the opposing teams raved about our hustle, improvement and enthusiasm. Many of our players are now playing club volleyball and will be strong candidates for next year’s high school teams.”