Sophmore Kenley Jacobs with a strong serve in a 3-1 win facing Blair.

by Madelyn Awwad ‘27 and Cara Farr ‘27

After an up and down season, the program finishes out strong with a huge 3-0 win in the last game of the regular season against Damascus. Finishing the season 9-5, the team has high expectations heading into playoffs despite their deceptively mediocre record. The Warriors were heavy favorites in their first-round playoff game at home against Blake on October 30. They will play the winner of the Rockville-Magruder match in the second round, most likely away at Magruder.

After going multiple games alternating between a win and a loss, the team was able to string together four wins in the last five games to end the season. Two tough wins in the regular season came against Walter Johnson and Blair. During the annual “Dig Pink” game against Blair on October 9, the Warriors won in four sets. This win was especially impressive because heading into that game, Blair was 8-1 with their only loss being Richard Montomery, who are the reigning state champions.
The girls have their sights set on winning the regional championship, despite many tough opponents that they would need to face. “We have a lot of good teams in our region, but I absolutely think we have a great shot at winning the region,” said Coach Kaitlyn Jain. Assistant Coach Megan Brady agreed that there are a lot of strong teams in the region but also that there is “a ton of talent in our gym.”

Jain said the playoffs require the team to go hard after every ball as well as be more consistent and always ready to play. Brady also hinted at similar expectations of hustle. “I want to see them go out on the court for every practice and every game and then walk out with their heads held high,” said Brady.

“That mindset will push them through playoffs.” Senior Vlada Costenco emphasizes the importance of energy on the court. “We need to keep up our energy and communicate,” she said. “Making sure we don’t get in our heads is important, so we can put bad plays in the past.”

Senior Makayla Songco agreed “Communication is key on the volleyball court; that is something I believe we can always work on,” she said. “Energy played a large role in those wins, and so did working well as a team.”