Volleyball standout ready for the next level
MISSOULA, Mont. (BVM) — During the average school day, Sydney Goldbar is like your average middle schooler. She goes to class, eats lunch and participates in band and the occasional school play.
However, despite how normal Sydney Goldbar may seem, she is one of Missoula’s best young volleyball players.
Sydney is a pivotal member of the Premier 14 Montana Volleyball Academy (MVA) Team. MVA is an elite team of volleyball players from schools around Montana to represent them in various local and national tournaments.
“She’s without a doubt one of the hardest workers I’ve ever coached. Sydney is a natural-born leader. When she first started working on her jump serve, she was determined to get it right. She must have practiced it two hours a day,” Montana Volleyball Academy head coach Erin Keffler.
The Premier 14 volleyball recently finished out their season. They were recognized as the 8th best team in the state.
“They showed great grit and determination all the way to the end,” Keffler said. “I am happy with how we played and how we forced other teams to respect us.”
Sydney’s success with MVA has carried over and manifested as success at the middle school level as well.
“She was our team’s strongest hitter, but due to her quickness and decision-making ability, I made her one of our setters. She took on the role nicely and did a great job of setting up her teammates. She has a great ability to play all around the rotation on the court because of her great passing ability, Sydney’s middle school volleyball coach, Jen Hover said. “She was most excited to try out her jump serve she has been working so hard on. She had a lot of aces because of the hard work she put into that serve. She’s an athlete that coaches enjoy having, eager to learn new things, no drama on the court, just plain old hard work. I know she’ll succeed in whatever she chooses to do, she is just that kind of person.”
With all the hard work and time Sydney Goldbar has put into her craft at such a young age, as an incoming freshman, the high school coach has taken notice.
“She looks very promising, I am really excited to have her in the rotation. She can play any position I need her to. She has a similar approach to the game that I’ve seen in some of the seniors.” Valley Christian High School volleyball Coach, Lynette Cross said.
The characteristic of Sydney Goldbar that stands out the most on the court is her ability to lead at such a young age.
“She has really stepped up in the leadership position, her teammates and even the players on the other team have to respect that. I’ve had other coaches come to me after games and remark on how vocal she is on the court,” Erin Keffler remarked. “Her confidence and dedication to her craft is astounding.”
Now that MVA’s season has ended, Sydney Goldbar is focusing on perfecting her jump serve, a big part of her game that has already netted her a lot of attention around the Class 13-C district.
“After our games, coaches of the opposing team will occasionally talk to me after the game expressing their disbelief of how good she is and how special of a player she is.” Jen Hover stated.
As a future volleyball standout, Goldbar has her sights set on helping the Valley Christian volleyball program reach new heights. Valley Christian fell once again in the district tournament this past season. They have not placed in the district tournament for the last three seasons.
However, there is hope that the incoming freshmen phenom can boost the Valley Christian Eagles back to their championship pedigree.
