Photo Courtesy of Sean Camden

From a town with 2,000 people to a lively city, Riley Petesch, a senior at Granite Bay High School talks about his passion for volleyball and the highs of moving to a new state without his parents.

Riley Petesch moved from Idaho to California in the fall of 2023 to further his volleyball career in hopes to gain attention from colleges.

When asked about where he tried out for volleyball, Petesh said, “Core, the one that I play for and then Bay to Bay in the Bay Area.” 

Ultimately he chose Core because of the friendly and welcoming environment but also the great coaching staff. 

   “It was just a better fit overall,” Petesch said.

He goes on to explain how he discovered volleyball while playing with his family, before he decided to pursue the sport competitively. 

   “I first started playing volleyball when my sister started playing, and I would just play outside with her and my dad,” Petesch said. 

Petesch spoke about how he started competitively playing last year and since then he wanted to move somewhere that was able to offer him more opportunities. He ended up leaving his hometown in Idaho and shared how he transitioned from living with his parents to a host family.

   “It was definitely weird at first, especially not living with (my) parents,” Petesch said. 

At tryouts for Core Volleyball Club, Petesch got introduced to Conrad Monson, a senior at GBHS. Conrad had heard that Petesch wanted to move to California and was looking for a place to stay. 

   “We didn’t think he would come, but he ended up staying (with us),” Monson said. 

After that, the Monson family was the perfect fit for Petesch to stay. 

   “I was nervous because I’ve never had a brother before,” Monson said. 

Monson and Petesch have grown to be like family and when asked about the process of showing Petesch around Conrad said his favorite memory they’ve  made was going to Apple Hill.

   “It’s kind of cool being able to show him places that I know and love,” Monson said. 

It has been said that Petesch is not only an all around great player but an incredibly coachable one and an even better teammate. Petesch’s club and highschool coach Prima Glorioso was quick to notice the potential he had, and even helped him when it came to recruiting.

   “Now (to) have like college offers on the table after a year and a half is pretty impressive,” Glorioso said. 

When it came to the time where Petesch started the recruiting process, he stated that being away from his parents was difficult when it came to him talking to coaches and deciding the right fit for him.

   “It was definitely difficult going through the recruiting process and trying to figure out what I want to do next, like without living with my parents,” Petesch said. 

Although Petesch has only been playing for a short amount of time, his coaches claim he has shown quick improvement and hard work.

   “He comes across as quiet and shy, but once you get to know him, he kind of comes out of his shell,” Glorioso said.

 Petesch has even advanced to being not only a starter but also a six rotation outside hitter for both his club volleyball team and high school volleyball team.

When Petesch was asked about the biggest things he needed to improve on, he said it was his defense. 

   “(Just) working on my passing. I mean, I kind of struggle with that. Like high level serving is a lot tougher to pass,” Petesch said. 

Petesch talked about how grateful he was for this opportunity and plans to continue his volleyball career at California Lutheran University.