Ripping one devastating spike after another, the varsity girls’ volleyball team at Mount St. Mary Catholic High School showed its championship mettle in a dazzling display of skill and power.
Thunder teammates Andre Roberson and Josh Huestis experienced first hand what it was like to work with a talented group that celebrated its 5A State Championship just last fall.
The practice session inside the school’s gym was interrupted when Roberson and Huestis sauntered onto the court generating head turns as they were cascaded with whoops and hollers.
In the surprise visit, the Thunder tandem spent Wednesday afternoon working with the team on various drills while drawing lots of smiles and laughs.
“There were some rumblings from the girls about how cool this was and how much fun they had,” said James Ward, Mount St. Mary’s volleyball coach. “They had no idea what was coming. It’s pretty neat.”
Roberson’s sister Amber and Huestis’ wife Haley, former collegiate volleyball players themselves, were already on the court to kickoff the team’s practice, making the unexpected rendezvous a family affair.
In a spectacular sequence during the drills, Oregon State University alumna Haley Huestis eventually unleashed a spike hurtling at Roberson for the kill.
“It was fun to watch the boys attempt to play volleyball,” said Haley Huestis. “They think they’re the best at every sport, but today proved wrong.”
Professional volleyball player Amber Roberson, who played at Texas, cherished the opportunity to have her brother on a different kind of court for a few serve-and-volleys.
“My family is very athletic,” she said. “So being able to switch roles, it was great to have my brother partake in my sport.“
Between the thrilling back-and-forth display of blocks and digs, battling his sister for bragging rights reminded Andre of the fierce competition in the Roberson household growing up.
“We had a lot of fights growing up in the house. No matter what the sport was nobody liked to lose,” said Roberson. “It brought us closer. It’s a family thing.”
Not for long, Roberson and Huestis wowed the gym with their length and athleticism launching kill shot after kill shot drawing oohs and ahs from the students.
“The boys have incredible athleticism. So that makes it really tough no matter what they’re doing,” said Ward. “And they’ve got great height. So it’s fun for our girls to see something like that.”
The surprise drop-in by the Thunder was part of a welcomed mid-season respite for Ward’s squad in order to not only refocus, but also have a little fun while gearing up for the rest of the year.
Watch: Roberson, Huestis Crash HS Volleyball Practice