MADELAIN TIGANO
Starting Sept. 1 PJC’s volleyball team will make its home with a new court in the Ed Hartsell Arena on the Pensacola campus. Volleyball Coach, Pete Pena, is “looking forward to it.”
For the past 12 years the volleyball team drove by bus to the Milton campus for practices and games.
“Many nights coming home from Milton, the team would have to travel in bad weather,” said Pena. “Not only will this move save cost, but it will improve the safety of our student athletes.”
The team travels a round trip of 35 miles every week day to Milton. Just in gas, PJC is dishing out a daily estimate of $100 for the bus.
Due to the location of PJC on the Panhandle, the team has to travel at least two hours out for any away games. They also travel to Tampa and Jacksonville.
With the new court location, the volleyball players will be able to spend less of their time on a bus.
“Being located in Pensacola will give us a couple hours a day to practice,” said Pena.
The team’s day is filled with weight training, conditioning in the pool located on Pensacola campus, and routine practice drills.
With a record of 24-wins last season and a trip to the state tournament, Pena believes the volleyball team is a “hidden jewel,” and “without a doubt” being located on the Pensacola campus will draw a bigger crowd to their games.
“Every year the team changes [because PJC is a two-year college], and we constantly have to produce a new chemistry,” said Pena. “It’s exciting to see how it all works out.”
The volleyball team contains 22 players, of which only seven are returning sophomores.
Roxanne Salomone, sophomore player, thinks “being able to practice and have our games at the Pensacola campus will be a lot easier on the team.”
“It was hard sometimes to travel from campus to campus, but we always did it as team,” Salomone continued. “We always have a good time in the bus and make the best of it.”
However, the Milton campus courts will still be used here at PJC, because Milton offers the space of two courts. The Ed Hartsell Arena can only operate one, so the volleyball team will use Milton for hosting tournaments.
Pena couldn’t express enough gratitude to those who participated in the Milton gym arena saying, “We will miss them very much, and thank you for all your support.”