PA girls volleyball season has officially come to a close. Finishing with a record of 4-12, the season ended on a high note. The team played their last game against Tallwood on Oct. 30, beating them 3-2 in a win that sophomore captain Abby Maurer describes as “a really fun game.”
While the season finished favorably, the team still experienced some challenges. A big one, explains sophomore captain Morgan Busch, was the influx of new players, after the team had several seniors leave last year. “It’s always hard in the beginning of the season when you just have to find that team unity,” she said. Freshman Jocelyn Garcia agreed, adding “I think [a challenge] was just coming together as a team as a whole.” Another challenge the team faced, according to senior captain Mackenzie Smith, was “overcoming all the losses that we had and trying to bounce back.”
The team had their fair share of losses. They had a total of four wins in the regular season and a total of five wins including out of district tournaments. The team started out the season strong, beating Kempsville and Green Run in their second and third games of the season, Sept. 3 and 5, but ended up on a losing streak until they beat Green Run again on October 17. Even though the team experienced a tough patch, Smith explained the team would “always [kept] positive mindsets.”
Despite all the challenges the team faced, they had many strengths and made a lot of progress since last year, according to coach Katelyn Mills. She explained their communication and their ability to work together improved since last year, as well as other areas of their play. Senior captain Juli Leo also agreed that the team improved. “I feel like we definitely improved on working with each other,” she explained. Communication was a strength all the players agreed on, with Smith adding, “We definitely came together and brought it, and our communication definitely got so much off.”
They plan to build on that progress next year, according to Mills. “I feel like just earlier preparation for the season is going to give us some more wins or at least some more intensity on the court.” Smith offered some advice to the team for next year, saying, “Just don’t take it for granted.” Leo said the same thing, advising the team to just have fun when playing.
There is one moment throughout the entire season that stuck out to most of the players, and the coach, which was their senior night on October 22 against Landstown High School. “It was really special to me, because it meant a lot to [the seniors],” explained Mills. “We all made a tunnel and the seniors walked through and it was bittersweet,” says Maurer, “because that’s Mackenzie and Juli, and they’re just the heart and soul of the team.”
The team is now focused on looking ahead and are eager for next year. “I’m happy for [volleyball] to come again next year,” said Garcia. Other players anticipate the new players that will come in. “I’m excited to see who tries out,” explained Maurer. With the loss of five key seniors, there are several openings for starters, elaborated Maurer, leaving her and several other players excited for the future of the team next year.
