On Thursday, Sept. 17, the freshman volleyball team took on Valparaiso at 5 p.m. on their home court. The girls spent time preparing by practicing and bonding to improve their relationship on and off the court and became an all around stronger team.
“We always do a team bonding because at the beginning of the year we didn’t have chemistry, so that was part of the reason we didn’t do very well. Now we have been talking more and hanging out,” Alexa Sherlund (9) said.
Aside from team chemistry, personal mindset is also very important in preparation for each game.
“I wasn’t really wanting to be over confident or anything, so I kind of just played it neutral. I didn’t expect them to be good or bad, so I went into [the game] with a neutral mindset,” Kailey Lessentine (9) said.
There are no assigned captains on the team, and every girl is responsible for helping each other out. Everyone is equally as important in being a leader.
“We have to focus on working as a team, and we were really determined to beat this team so that helped us a lot,” Talia Gruthusen (9) said.
Being a team player is key, and with Valparaiso being in their conference, this won’t be the last time coming into contact with them.
“We didn’t want to underestimate them, and we wanted to make sure we played well,” Taylor Robinson (9) said.
This was a big game and an even bigger win for the girls. Valparaiso is one of their biggest rivals, and the team is very happy with the outcome. The Indians won the first two sets 25-8 and 25-15. Valpo won the third set 15-6.
