by Adele H.

The season of volleyball has come to an end. Everyone has shown amazing improvement in many different aspects, especially their skills throughout the season. The coaches and players all agreed it’s been a season of growth and achievement.

When talking to some of the blue team volleyball players, they had much to say. Dylan Maroney, an eighth grader, shared what helped her improve this season. She stated how the coaches, “bumped our practices like longer and, so we had more practice time.” She explained how this helped her focus on her form and improve her overall skills.

Bella Bowman, also an eighth grader, discussed who helped her improve the most. She expressed how Coach Murray played a big role in her development. When talking about Coach Murray, she revealed, “She paid close attention to what I did wrong, and she told me why I need to fix it and how.” Bella also highlighted what else Coach Murray did for the team. “Practicing,” she stated, “a lot.” The team had hour-long practices every day.

Alongside the players, I also spoke with the coaches about how the team improved their skills over the season. Coach Murray had a lot to say. She shared, “Yes, the team improved a lot in their skills this year. It’s kinda a complete 180 from where we started.” She continued, commenting, “Honestly, it wasn’t a lot of me, but I think a lot of the part was the girls put in work in the offseason, and that made a huge difference.” She observed how the team came back even better after the summer break and ready to play.

Coach Murray went on to say more about the team’s development. She expressed, “Then we tried new players at new positions to see if that helped.” She explained how this approach helped tie the team together skill-wise. Another way the team improved, she noted, was by “learning from our, like, mistakes.” She observed how this approach played a significant role in helping the team improve and stay cohesive.

Coach Seanz echoed Coach Murray’s sentiments, stating, “Yes, they definitely improved from the beginning to the end of the season.” She mentioned, “I think they are able to improve just by us doing drills, with, to help them with their blocking.” When asked if she believed the team truly improved their skills by the end of the season, she had a quick and confident response: “Yes, 100%.”

Overall, the 2024 eighth-grade volleyball season was marked by significant improvement and success. Both the coaches and players agreed that the season helped many athletes develop their skill sets and become better overall players. The volleyball season was truly a success.