by Madelyn Awwad ‘27 and Cara Farr ‘27

Looking to rebuild after a tough loss in the regional finals last fall, the girls volleyball team faces a gaping hole in their lineup, with four of their starters gone to graduation. Despite the challenges, expectations for the season are high, with aspirations to make their playoff run deeper than last year.

Girls volleyball had an eventful start to the season. They began with a strong shutout win against Kennedy, winning all 3 sets. In their second match, they faced a tough challenge in Wootton and lost the match but took a set in a close contest overallThe team regrouped in their third match, easily beating Paint Branch 3-0.

Big expectations of leadership weigh on the upperclassmen because “leadership is critical” with such a young team, said Coach Kaitlyn Jain, who also emphasizes confidence as an area of importance for the rest of the season. “The biggest thing we need is the strong leadership to pull those younger players up,” said Jain.

The program is focused on consistency and improving every single game. Jain listed some of their goals for the season, including winning the division championship and regions. To complete these goals, they need to beat nearby rival Magruder and also Wootton, the team that beat the Warriors for the regional final last fall.

Even though they graduated four strong players last year, there is no absence of talent this year. With seven returning seniors, there is lots of experience to make up for the lack thereof in the younger players. Senior captain Vlada Costenco says that “the underclassmen have begun to show maturity and growth,” said senior Vlada Costenco, because of the opportunity given to them to play.

Costenco emphasizes the importance of volleyball being a team sport. She said that with the sophomores and juniors stepping up, there is less pressure on the seniors, allowing them to play to the best of their abilities without having to worry about making costly mistakes.