By: Mika Albrecht Nikhila Puri Zahabia Shahpurwala
This season has definitely been an emotional rollercoaster,” said Marissa McNerney, a captain of the middle school volleyball team. The team’s season has had many ups and downs, from their huge win against St. Bernard to their loss against Summit. The team has grown a lot from the start of the season, and they’ve also bonded as a team. At the beginning of the season, the team had a dinner to come together and get to know each other. Talking about the dinner, Marissa said “I feel like we all bonded after that.”
The season has been “emotionally and physically challenging” according to Marissa. As a captain, she feels like she “holds a lot of responsibility, and sometimes it can be a struggle.” However, she also enjoys leading her team as a captain. The team’s competitive spirit has helped them come back from losses, as well as to never give up.
The student section has also lifted the team’s spirit and inspired them to work hard.“The student section really cheers us on,” said Dagny Jones, a seventh grade MS volleyball player. The team also uses special cheers to celebrate every point scored. For example, they have Ace Cheers, Freeball Cheers, and Kill Cheers, which all celebrate different ways of scoring points. Overall, all of these traditions help the team gain more confidence and spirit.
The team is “very emotional” Marissa said, which can make losses tough. “We’ve cried after almost every loss,” said Lydia Zhang, a defensive specialist, commented. Unfortunately, they were knocked out of the tournament against MVCA after winning against them two times. The defeat against Summit was the team’s hardest experience according to the players, and they had a hard time bouncing back from that. However they came back stronger from that defeat and crushed St. Bernard in a huge victory. The team then went on to defeat CCD 25-0. Coach Kristen Snyder thought the game was very special, as she “had never coached a game where there has been a shut-out before.”
Snyder has also loved watching the girls bond and grow as players together. She feels like they are very well-connected and know how to function together very well. This was on display in their Homecoming game where they also had the varsity volleyball team and other Seven Hills students to cheer them on. Snyder has always felt she would eventually coach volleyball as she has always played the sport through high school, college, and now. She has lots of experience with sports as her dad was the Seven Hills Athletic Director. “I’ve always been around coaches, watching him coach, being at games. I always knew it would be something I’d want to do to keep connected to where I teach,” Snyder said on coaching. She has now been coaching for 17 years and “still loves it.”
Overall, the team has struggled but still were able to have a great season. Their emotional personality and competitiveness has helped them bring the team together to have a winning record at the end of the season. In general, the girls have bonded and connected as a successful team. The MS Girls volleyball team has definitely had a season to be proud of. “The girls have come so far as a team and I am proud of them,” Snyder said.
