By Connor O’Malley ‘22

Volleyball tryouts for Brother Rice are this Monday, Mar. 7, 2022. This year’s team is looking pretty good with some height on the varsity team. The tallest person on the team is Brendan McCarthy reaching 6’7”.

Brendan is the middle on the team and said, “I am extremely excited for the season and would like to see how much talent we really have.”

The other middle on the team is senior Tom Lamb. Tom has improved tremendously as he played for Ultimate Volleyball Club. He started last year as a junior and has only become better.

Tom said, “Brendan and I as a duo in the middle is a scary thing teams should be ready for.”

Another senior, Sean Paulsen, will be trying out for the right side hitter this year. He is a big threat at right side because he is left handed. Sean has been working on his vertical and for a harder swing.

Sean told the team, “Be ready to win this season.”

The team is looking like they want it all. They want to win.

A tough opponent this year is going to be St. Rita. St. Rita has some talent on their team, but Rice is looking for some revenge after losing to them in sectionals last season. Jimmy Sanders, one of Rita’s star players, just tore his meniscus and will be out for the beginning of the season.

Another team that is usually on top is Marist. Marist is not as good as they would like to be this year. Rice has a good chance to beat both of these teams but both is definitely the biggest struggle for the Crusaders.

Sandburg will be Brother Rice’s first opponent on Mar. 21, at home. The Crusaders are excited and ready for any team to come in their path to a state title.