Susan Brewer
Volleyball Coach
Room: Girls Gym
Email: sbrewer@bellvillebrahmas.org

The Bellville Volleyball program represents Bellville High School in preseason, district, tournament, and postseason competition. Follow the team throughout the season for match results, district standings, player accomplishments, playoff advancement, and stories about the preparation, communication, and teamwork behind each performance. Contact Volleyball Coach Susan Brewer for schedules, official results, team information, and coverage opportunities.

Upcoming matches, tournaments, and schedule changes
Match results and district standings
Tournament results and postseason advancement
Kills, assists, digs, blocks, and service aces
Important rallies and match-deciding points
Close sets, comebacks, and five-set matches
Serving, setting, attacking, and defensive performances
Player milestones and personal achievements
Team preparation, practices, and strategy
Lineup changes and players taking on new roles
New varsity players and developing athletes
Team leadership and communication on the court
Senior recognition and final home matches
Awards, honors, and postseason selections
Team activities and volleyball-program accomplishments

Covering the Volleyball Beat

Start Here

Introduce yourself to Coach Susan Brewer and explain that you are covering Bellville Volleyball for the BVP Newsroom.
Ask how she prefers to be contacted and how far in advance interviews, photography, video, or match coverage should be arranged.
Request the current match schedule, including tournaments, district matches, and anticipated postseason dates.
Ask where and when the team practices and whether reporters may attend.
Request the current roster and identify returning players, new varsity players, seniors, captains, and other team leaders.
Ask how official scores, statistics, district standings, and match results will be communicated.
Learn which players regularly serve as setters, hitters, defensive specialists, liberos, and blockers.
Ask which upcoming matches, tournaments, or district opponents are expected to be especially important.
Check regularly with Coach Brewer for schedule changes, results, developing stories, and coverage opportunities.
Submit possible stories as pitches before beginning full coverage unless your teacher tells you otherwise.

Your Responsibilities

Check for volleyball updates at least once each news cycle.
Track matches, tournaments, district standings, and postseason advancement.
Watch for standout serving, setting, attacking, blocking, and defensive performances.
Look for close sets, comebacks, five-set matches, winning streaks, player milestones, and important district victories.
Follow players demonstrating improvement, consistency, leadership, communication, or perseverance.
Pitch promising stories to the newsroom.
Arrange interviews, photography, video, and match coverage in advance.
Confirm names, scores, statistics, records, standings, and postseason information before publication.
Follow up after matches for official results, photographs, reactions, and information about the next match.
Explain more than the final score by identifying the rallies, adjustments, decisions, and performances that shaped the match.

Important

Volleyball is a team sport built around communication and specialized roles. A final score tells you who won, but it does not explain how the match developed. Pay attention to serving runs, long rallies, defensive saves, blocks, hitting performances, substitutions, momentum changes, and adjustments between sets.

Be careful when reporting statistics and terminology. Kills, assists, digs, blocks, service aces, attack errors, and hitting percentages mean different things. Do not assume a player’s statistics from what you observed. Verify official scores, set results, player statistics, records, standings, and postseason information with Coach Brewer or another official source before publication.

When covering matches or practices, remain outside the court, team bench, locker room, and other restricted areas unless you have permission to enter. Stay alert to balls and player movement around the court, and never interfere with players, coaches, officials, or live play while taking photographs or video.

A final score is only the beginning of the story. Find out what changed the match—a serving run, critical rally, defensive save, lineup adjustment, comeback, difficult set, strategic decision, or individual performance that helped determine the outcome.

Reporting Your Volleyball Stories

Possible Story Ideas

The team prepares for an important district match or tournament.
A match is decided in a close fifth set.
The team completes a major comeback after falling behind.
A player records an unusually strong serving performance.
A hitter reaches an important kills milestone.
A setter reaches an assists milestone or takes on a larger leadership role.
A libero or defensive specialist makes a major impact.
Strong blocking changes the outcome of a match.
A long rally becomes the turning point of a set.
A younger player earns a varsity position or increased playing time.
A player adjusts to a new position or role.
The team changes its rotation or strategy.
The team begins or extends a winning streak.
The team qualifies for or advances in the playoffs.
A senior prepares for her final season or home match.
A player returns following an injury or absence.
Players balance volleyball with academics and other activities.
Experienced players mentor younger teammates.
A player receives district or postseason recognition.
A behind-the-scenes look at practice or match-day preparation.

Signs There May Be A Story

Pay attention when:

An important district match or tournament is approaching.
The team repeatedly plays close sets or five-set matches.
A player begins producing unusually strong statistics.
A server puts together long scoring runs.
A hitter, setter, libero, or blocker approaches a milestone.
The team changes its lineup or rotation.
A player moves into a new position.
A younger player begins receiving significant varsity playing time.
The team begins a winning or losing streak.
The team repeatedly comes from behind.
Communication problems appear and the team must adjust.
A player returns after an injury or absence.
A senior is approaching her final home match.
The team’s playoff position depends on an upcoming result.
A rivalry match has special importance.
The team accomplishes something it has not done recently.
A player receives an award or postseason recognition.
Players or coaches discuss an improvement or challenge that spectators may not recognize.

Questions to Ask: The 5 W's and 1 H

You will not necessarily ask every question below. Select the questions that fit your story and ask follow-up questions whenever an answer is unclear or incomplete.

Who was involved?

Which team and team level competed?
Which players had important roles?
Who led the team in kills, assists, digs, blocks, or aces?
Who made an important defensive save?
Who provided leadership or communication on the court?
Who entered as a substitute and affected the match?
Who helped the team prepare?

What happened?

What was the final match score?
What were the scores of each set?
What were the most important rallies or points?
What changed the momentum?
What lineup, rotation, or strategic adjustments were made?
What went especially well?
What did not go as planned?
What statistics best explain the result?
What does the result mean for the team’s record or district standing?

When did it happen?

When and at what time was the match played?
When did momentum begin to change?
When was the decisive rally, serving run, or substitution?
When did the team begin preparing for this opponent?
When is the next match?
When will playoff qualification or advancement be determined?

Where did it happen?

Where was the match played?
Was it a home, away, tournament, district, or playoff match?
Where on the court did the team find success or experience problems?
Where does the team practice?
Where will the team compete next?

Why does it matter?

Why was this match important?
Why was a lineup or rotation change made?
Why did the coach call a timeout or make a substitution?
Why was a particular player’s performance important?
Why did momentum shift?
Why has the team improved or struggled in a certain area?
Why does the result matter to the district standings or playoff race?
Why was the match personally meaningful to a player or coach?

How did it happen?

How was the match decided?
How did the team create scoring runs?
How did serving affect the match?
How did the defense respond to the opponent’s attack?
How did the team adjust between sets?
How did players communicate during difficult moments?
How did the team respond after losing a set or falling behind?
How did preparation influence the result?
How will the team prepare for its next opponent?

People You May Need to Interview

Depending on the story, consider interviewing:

Volleyball Coach Susan Brewer
Team captains or other student leaders
Players directly involved in the featured story
The setter
Outside, middle, or right-side hitters
The libero or defensive specialists
Players responsible for important serving runs
Players involved in decisive blocks or defensive saves
A substitute who made an important contribution
A player reaching an individual milestone
A new varsity player
A senior playing her final season or home match
A player returning after an injury or absence
A teammate who helped the featured player prepare
Other coaches or school employees involved with a particular match or event

Whenever possible, talk to the players who actually experienced the story. Coach Brewer can provide official information, statistics, strategy, and context, but the players can explain what happened on the court, how they responded, and what the moment meant to them.

What You Need to Collect

Before writing or producing the story, collect:

Correctly spelled names of everyone involved
Each student’s grade level
Each student’s position and team level
The correct opponent
The official name of the match or tournament
Date, time, and location
Whether it was preseason, tournament, district, or playoff competition
The final match score
The score of every set
The team’s updated overall and district records
Current district standing or playoff position
Verified kills, assists, digs, blocks, and service aces when relevant
Important serving runs, rallies, substitutions, or turning points
A clear explanation of how the match was decided
Important lineup, rotation, or strategic changes
At least one useful quote from a player involved
Comments from Coach Brewer
Useful photographs or video from the match
Photographs or video of preparation when relevant
Names of everyone identifiable in photographs
Information about the next opponent and match

The final score does not explain the entire match. Collect enough information to show which rallies, performances, and adjustments determined the result.

Before You Leave

Ask yourself:

Do I have the correct spelling of every name?
Do I know each student’s grade level, position, and team level?
Do I have the correct opponent, date, time, and location?
Have I confirmed the final match score?
Did I record the score of every set?
Do I have the updated overall and district records?
Did I verify any statistics I plan to report?
Do I know who led in kills, assists, digs, blocks, or aces?
Can I explain the most important rally or turning point?
Do I understand any lineup, rotation, or strategic adjustments?
Did I talk to the players directly involved?
Did I get a strong quote—not merely “We played well” or “It felt good”?
Did I speak with Coach Brewer?
Do I have useful photographs or video?
Did I identify everyone shown in my photographs?
Can I explain why this result matters?
Do I know what happens next?

The Bellville Herd

NEWSROOM

A Brahma Video Productions Student Newsroom