Juan Villa / The Collegian

It’s spring time, which means fall sports are gearing up.

For the Fresno State volleyball team and new coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell, spring practice is a time to work on change.

The team is young and talented. They practice hard and appear to be having a good time.

It’s obvious they all share a love of volleyball.

In the last spring practice open to the media, you could see all of this between the team.

Every member on the team cheers for their teammates when they make a good play or a good effort.

In an attempt to give members of the media a little taste of what to expect next fall, Netherby-Sewell invited media people to a practice.

This wasn’t a meet-the-team day or watch our practice day. No, this was a mini- camp for the media.

A handful of reporters came out and learned some of the basics.

They went easy on us — for the most part. We got to spike, dig, block and serve.

We even got mixed in to a game that they play called dog house.

It was fun and all the ladies on the team were encouraging us media people.

I played a year in high school, so I sort of knew what I was doing. Sort of.

I doubt I looked like I knew what I was doing, though.

They made me feel comfortable and their encouragement really helped.

It’s too bad that I won’t be around next year.

Yes, I’m excited to be graduating, but now that I’ve had a taste of what the team does and how hard they work, I’d like to watch them play next fall.

I may not be a great or even good volleyball player, but one thing is for sure — I have more respect for the team that steps onto the court to represent the Bulldogs.