By COOPER BROCK
After losing seniors at the close of last year’s near state champion season, the varsity girls volleyball team faces a new problem this year: consistency.
“We need to keep siding out and work on executing points from well placed passes. [To fix this] we’ve been practicing a lot everyday, especially on serve returns,” junior Alexandra Harvard said.
Harvard recently recovered from a concussion, pulled nerves in her neck and two slightly rotated vertebrae, which she received while playing an inflatable jousting game at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes event.
“We lost our setter, but it felt like we were losing a member of our family,” junior Kendall Sexton said.
After a visit to the neurosurgeon, Harvard went to physical therapy, and wore a neck brace for two weeks. She missed three games, and was unable to play during the team’s trip to a tournament in South Carolina.
“I felt bad watching [my team play], and after a week, I felt fine. That’s the worst, not being able to play when you feel able to.” Harvard said.
On Tuesday, Sept. 27, Harvard joined the team in the game against Cypress Creek. The girls won 3-1, finishing the final game 25-17.
“We definitely did not play to the best of our abilities that night because we did not work our hardest, and weren’t focused,” junior Caroline Jordan said.
Jordan is a third year starter, and says the team’s main goal is to get to states.
To remind themselves of this goal, each member of the team paints her nails purple with the exception of the right ring finger, which she paints orange.
“The orange nail represents the team’s mutual goal to win states, because that finger is where our state ring would go,” Arkeilpane said. “I’d say our talent is spread out more evenly this year, and we can get to states if we have the proper motivation,”
With a record of 9-6, the girls have won a little over half of their games. Although only half way into their season, this is a major change to the near state champion record of 21-9 set by last year’s team.
“Our worst game was against Dr. Phillips,” Sexton said. “We weren’t very positive. Every time we lost a point we could not find our groove to get back into the game,”
The girls lost to Dr. Phillips, 3-1, after losing the first game 25-19, winning the second 18-25 and losing the last two games 25-22 and 25-23.
“People don’t trust each other on the court,” Sexton said. “Last year, we relied on one player, but now we have to rely on the entire team.”
To reach the state competition, the girls will have to win more than half of their next eight games, and win the district competition.
“I think we’re equally as equipped [as last year] to win states this year,” coach Mike Ladewski said. “We just have to get back there. We have a lot better of an attitude this time around, and in the end it is about how hard we work. We are a good team, we just have to be confident in ourselves.”
Tonight, the girls are off to the Tampa Invitational, which will be resumed tomorrow morning. Their next home game will be on Wednesday, Oct. 12, against University.