By Katie Sanchez, Editor-in-Chief

While they’re normally stuck inside in front of their computers writing and editing news stories for the campus community, the Newswire staff also find time to hit the courts and have some intramural fun. Newswire’s premiere intramural volleyball team, News Kids on the Block, is looking forward to the upcoming indoor volleyball season after coming off a vigorous sand volleyball season.

News Kids is a fixture in Xavier Intramural Sports, perennially bringing together writers and editors from Newswire to compete against their non-athletic regular person (NARP) peers in sand volleyball and other recreational league sports. This fall, News Kids brought electricity to intramural volleyball, starting off each week with a bang as they competed in the Monday evening time slot.

News Kids ultimately won zero matches in their four games this September and October.

“We put forth our best effort this past season and we had a fantastic team of hardworking comrades. We are looking forward to the indoor season and are confident we will put up at least one win,” senior health services administration major and Newswire’s Digital Communications Manager Kayla Ross said. Ross was a standout player on the sand volleyball team, delivering energetic serves and keeping up team spirit.

The intramural sand volleyball scene was fierce this season. News Kids competed in the “Competitive” league and found their opponents skilled and determined to win.

Each week, News Kids met their foes on the sand volleyball courts next to Buenger Hall for a ferocious battle of aces, assists and attacks. In oppressive heat and damp cold, News Kids kicked up an impressive amount of sand in their fight for dominance.

News Kids faced off against fellow competitive league teams Sand in My Boots, Clarion Zoo, Ball Fondlers and Dig My Balls. They failed to find victory in any of these four matchups, securing just one set in their favor during their Sept. 16 matchup against Clarion Zoo.

What News Kids may lack in terms of volleyball experience and technical skill, they make up for in spirit and tenacity. Scheduling times to practice throughout the week and before matches, News Kids did not let their unfavorable position in the league dim their enthusiasm or determination. A robust team of substitutes kept the team’s energy going and provided support for this team of eager Musketeers.

“We’ve been playing since my first year at Xavier and being captain has given me the utmost privilege to watch our team grow into an unstoppable talent,” Team Captain Jackson Hare said. Hare is a senior Philosophy, Politics and the Public and psychology double major and serves as Newswire’s Education and Enrichment Coordinator.

“This being my last semester and last season with the News Kids, I’m looking to finish the indoor season in a way that propels our team’s success for years to come,” Hare said.

Hare also expressed his gratitude to 2022 Xavier graduate and his Education and Enrichment Coordinator predecessor, Joseph Cotton, for helming the first News Kids team as its founder and captain.

News Kids looks to win their first match — or at least, maybe more than one set — of the academic year as they begin their indoor volleyball season on Friday, Oct. 25. You can watch them take on their fellow Xavier students on Fridays at 5 p.m. on the Health United Building’s indoor courts.