SAN JOSE, CALIF. – Making varsity as a freshman is rare, especially in a competitive sport like volleyball, but for Anderson Ho, that dream has become a reality. 

However, it hasn’t been all glory; between keeping up with school, handling the pressure of varsity, and competing with upperclassmen, it’s been challenging for Ho. But, he believes it will be worth it in the end.

“For me, the expectation for varsity is that my skill level has to be at a certain point to even play,” Ho said. 

With older, more experienced teammates getting onto the court is no easy feat to do. Playing time isn’t certain, but Ho is ready to earn his spot. 

“It’s not very likely for a freshman to make varsity. I’m honestly surprised I made it,” he said, “But if I have to compete for my position, I will because I take this sport very seriously.” 

He frequently visits the Plex, Seven Trees, and open gyms when he’s available, and now that he’s in varsity, it shows that if you put in hard work, you can achieve great things. For Ho, he didn’t let his grade/age get in the way of his skill level.

The good thing is that the team culture at Silver Creek is super welcoming. The team also has fun traditions, like breakfast after morning practices, making it a great community to be part of. JV and Varsity get along well, which is something that volleyball needs since team chemistry is a big thing. Having that team chemistry really helped lift up the team, which made Ho and the team play better.

As expected, varsity practices are intense. The biggest challenge, though, has been balancing school and sports. “At one point, I had a 1.4 GPA, and I thought I was done for. But I stopped procrastinating and worked on my grades.” After he realized that he had bad grades, he would work outside of school with friends to make sure his grades got better. In just a week, he made grades to play the sport he loves.

Despite the struggles, Anderson is proving that with hard work and determination, even a freshman can hold their own on varsity. As of now, Anderson gets in and tries his best on the court as always. The season is just getting started, and Anderson already is ready to do great things.