Jacob Shannon is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Gilbert Classical Academy for AZPreps365.com. 

It’s no secret that height seems to be a key to a team’s success in volleyball, and the Gilbert Classical Academy’s varsity squad is well below the average player height of a volleyball team. Of the 13 players on the Spartans' active roster, nine are below the height of 5 feet, 8 inches. According to Spartans head coach Sierra Baker, the team tends to be shorter than their opposition “80% of the time.”

Even past Gilbert Classical volleyball teams, such as their 2019-2020 varsity roster that qualified for the 2A playoffs, had an average player height of 5 feet, 8 inches, a higher number compared to their current average player height of 5 feet, 5 inches.

And yet, the Spartans have managed to succeed all season long, sitting at a record of 14-8 and in third place in the 2A Valley despite having only one player above the height of 5 feet, 8 inches, freshman middle back Winnie Modzelewski who stands at 5 feet, 10 inches.

“Since we’re not as tall as other teams we have to rely more on strategy over power than other teams do,” Baker said. “Luckily the girls on our team are all really smart and understand how to find openings and how to attack them on the fly in-game.” 

Baker and the rest of the Spartans’ volleyball staff spend most of their practices working on their defense, ball placement on kills, and finding open gaps in the blocks. On the defensive end, the Spartans work heavily on their receiving game in an attempt to slow down more powerful teams.

“As long as we can keep the ball up and get it back over consistently, we can usually outlast our opponents and force them to make a mistake we can capitalize on,” Baker said.

As for the players on the team, they’re well aware of their height disadvantage against other teams, with some players like opposite hitter Adina Kolia (5 feet, 4 inches) casually laughing about the size of their team when asked about it. 

“I don’t think it affects how we play personally,” Kolia said. “Even though we are a shorter team, we still play really well against other teams. The coaches always have a pep talk with us before the game telling us to not let their height intimidate us and get in the way of how we play.”

Others like team captain and libero Jillian Urrea (5 feet, 2 inches), disregard the notion entirely that height remains a negative factor for their team. 

“Height is irrelevant in this sport,” said Urrea. “If you work hard enough and you play your hardest, you deserve to have a spot on the court.”

When talking with the Spartans, they all echoed the sentiments that Baker and the rest of the staff have about their focus on team defense and playing smarter than the other teams.

“When the other players can get higher than the net, they can get really good looks on attacking,” freshman setter Caitlin Chua (5 feet, 2 inches) said. “But as long as you’re staying low and on your toes, and paying attention to the ball, you can always get to where you need to be to stop a kill.” 

An underrated aspect that a height disadvantage can have on the Spartans is in their mental game, according to Urrea. 

“When you’re heading into a game and watching warmups, some of the younger players get intimidated,” Urrea said. “But regardless of how tall or how hard they’re hitting the ball, you can’t let it get in your head.” 

The Spartans continue to excel this season, winning their most recent matchup 3-0 on Tuesday against San Tan Charter. They look to defend their spot of third in the 2A Valley region in two games against Sequoia Charter this week.