The legacy of my intramural volleyball team began in the spring of 2018. I was a decently sought after recruit, but I wasn’t sure which team I would sign on with. On the one hand, I could join my brother Jacob Castillo ’19 and roommate Zac Mcdonald ’20 team. They had height and strength, but part of me wanted to take my talents elsewhere. However, while some offers came through from other teams, none were as good as the first.
It was obvious our team had talent from our first game. We had size, speed, and experience. We were good with blocks and had some of the hardest hitters in the league. It looked like our team was the #1 seed and the sure A-league champions. Sadly, we started off one of our games on a rough start and couldn’t regain the lead. This ruined our chances to win the league and all hopes of us having a championship squad vanished. It was a sad loss which was only heightened by the fact that we were losing a large number of senior players.
The next season we came back with a vengeance. We picked up new and promising recruits: Josh Mcdonald ’21, Ben Beatty ’21 and Alex Stayte ’21. There was something we needed to prove: that we were a championship squad. Our competition was fierce, but we played well and with spirit.
Soon we made it to the prestigious and competitive C-league championship. All pressure was on us, everyone was watching, and the nerves were getting to us. Luckily, we played like we knew we could, and we ended up getting the win.
We were ecstatic. What we trained and fought for was finally ours. We were C-league champions, and it was a title we wanted to get used to. The next year came about and we were ready to defend our title. Sadly, we were all sent home because of COVID-19 and were not able to play intramurals.
Coming back to campus last fall brought a return of many normal parts of college life. One of the things that did not fully return was intramural sports like indoor basketball or indoor volleyball. While sports like dodgeball and badminton were exciting to play, they aren’t to the status of traditional intramurals.
Then on April 5, Jon Gin, the intramural director and assistant women's basketball coach, sent out the exciting news that intramural volleyball was returning, and it is going to be outdoors. This is exciting as it sparks the return of some of the traditional intramural sports.
For all who are not sure about playing intramurals, I would say you totally should. Not only are they fun but you don’t need to have any experience to play them. Intramural volleyball is a great way to meet new people and to play sports you have never tried before. Can’t wait to see a lot of new players out there as me and my teammates attempt to defend our C-league title.