Between the winter sports season and the spring sports season, Dylan Spring never seems to leave the Saugus gym.
In winter, he’s a valuable member of the basketball team. In spring, he’s key for the boys volleyball team.
“It takes a lot of energy out of me,” said Spring of being a dual-sport athlete. “I wake up, I know I have the sport today, I have to perform. I have to go all out every day.”
Currently, though, Spring is focusing on just one sport: volleyball. His play as an outside hitter and opposite has helped the Centurions to a 2-0 start to open up Foothill League play.
Most recently in the Cents’ sweep of Canyon, the senior recorded five aces and seven digs.
While he’s played basketball for most of his life, Spring didn’t pick up volleyball until his sophomore year of high school when some friends encouraged to try out the sport.
He began on the freshman team, then quickly worked his way up to JV and earned a starting spot as the Cents played their way to a league title as he learned that volleyball was just as physically demanding as basketball – and a lot harder on the knees.
“There’s a lot of sports that people don’t realize are actually really fun and they should go out and try,” Spring said. “Something like volleyball, people say like ‘Oh, it’s dumb, it’s volleyball,’ but like, I picked it up, I played it, I found out I liked it and I stuck with it since my sophomore year.”
He says that the combination of basketball and volleyball have made him a better all-around athlete.
“Because of volleyball, I’ve gotten stronger in my legs,” said Spring. “My legs have actually built a lot more muscle and because of basketball, I’ve gotten more speed and that helps with volleyball. It’s a little kind of both ways.”
Since Saugus was unable to claim a Foothill League title in basketball this season, Spring has made it his mission to take the crown in volleyball season. But he knows he and the team will have their hands full between West Ranch, Valencia and a feisty Hart team.
“You never know,” Spring said. “That’s how I go into it. You just have to go all out.”
Spring also hopes that seeing the success of the boys volleyball team will also encourage athletes from basketball and other sports to try their hand at getting a few kills, digs or aces.
“We have a short staff of people that play and people just don’t realize there’s more than just watching volleyball,” he said. “It’s pretty intense and I love it. A lot of people don’t see it my way, but people should start to.”
