Learning fundamentals is focus of youth camp

"But with a camp, you kind of have to gage what type of players you have on the first day. If you have kids who are really serious we usually break them off and we give them a little more advanced training. But this is usually more of a beginner's camp, and we gear more to the players who have less than two years playing experience and who don't play for a club team."

Mina said the camp also allows athletes to get acclimated with Providence, and it gives them an inside glimpse of the school if they decide to attend the institution.

Andrew Bencze is the Providence athletic director. Although Mina is no longer a coach for the Pioneers, Bencze said Mina is still dedicated to the camp and he is committed to making it a success. Bencze added that Mina provides a wealth of volleyball knowledge for the young players.

"We want to run a qualify camp, and I think Mark has the experience to reach the kid who has never played before, and help the player who has a lot of experience get better," Bencze said. "A camp needs a coach with that kind of diversity, and Mark has that."

For the athletes, many said they were able to improve their skills and enjoyed taking part in the camp.

"I think I improved my serving, because I'm serving a lot better now than I was before," Patteri said. "It's fun and it's hard, and they really push you so you can get better."

Camper Chris Haysvelasco, 8, from North Hollywood, found himself in a unique situation. At the camp, he was the only boy among a group of girls. Despite finding his situation "a little weird," he said he learned a lot during the week-long camp.

"I learned jump-serving, hitting, bumping and things like that," he said. "We also played a lot of games of volleyball."