Nine girls, four new players, three wins, one team. When facing opposition, Girls Varsity Volleyball handles the competition the way they know best: together.

Girls Varsity Volleyball battled it out and won its scrimmages against Housatonic Valley Regional High School, Berkshire, and Taft during the past two weeks and had its first game against Williston on Wednesday. With multiple wins already under its belt, the team moves towards a proactive season.

The girls used the scrimmages as a means of developing and combining each player’s respective skill, be it setting, spiking, or hitting. Initially, the team had difficulty calling balls to each other. However, in the match against Berkshire, the team worked on name-calling and won the game in three sets as a result. When reflecting on the Berkshire scrimmage, Coach Eileen Sullivan said, “[An] area [where we could use] growth [is] communication. We just need some to work together and begin to understand where to be on the court and to trust our teammates. This will come with time and experience, and we’ve already seen some real improvement.”

The small team is composed of five returning players and four new. New players add energy to the team. The main focus for the team has been simply getting to know each other in order to collaborate better. The team unanimously agrees that bonding is the best way to play better as a team. Anne Sappenfield ’21 said, “In the scrimmage [against Berkshire], we did a lot better, and our team chemistry improved. We had some moments where we meshed pretty well together, and there were moments where you could see our empty spots, but I can tell this season is going to be good.”

The tryouts brought a smaller group of new players in comparison with past years. With one Prep, Emily Beutner ’22, and three Lower Mids, Alaina Colby ’21, Anne Sappenfield ’21, and Ashley Kase ’21, the team hopes to use its energy from previous wins to its advantage in future matches. Harper Pertchik ’20 said, “The new kids have definitely been a good contribution to the team. They’re consistent, which is what we were looking for in players this year.”