by PK Zunker (Posted on October 22, 2026 @ 1:06 p.m.)

After losing every game at the start of the season, the AHJS Blue volleyball team turned its season around by improving its communication, teamwork, and confidence. These improvements led the team to win its district championship. The team won both sets against Jackson, then won the first and third sets against Harris. They ended the game winning 27-25 on October 15.

Their coach, Coach Tadlock, said the change occurred because the girls were determined and always put in the effort to become better teammates, leaders, and volleyball players.

One of the biggest areas of improvement has been in the team’s confidence and skills on the court. According to Coach Tadlock, the team’s passing and hitting have improved significantly, allowing them to become a much stronger team. Players are now communicating on the court and showing more effort and determination.

She has noticed that the girls have moved past their fear of loss and mistakes and now play with more confidence, skill, and talent. All these things have had a major effect on how the girls show up, both on and off the court as a team.

Along with building their confidence, the players have also grown by supporting each other. Their coach has talked about the importance of having each other’s backs and bettering teammates’ mistakes.

“We’ve talked a lot about having each other’s backs. So instead of looking at someone’s mistakes and then panicking like, ‘oh my gosh, we’ve made a mistake,’ we’re looking at a teammate’s mistake, and then we’re trying to make it better. So if my teammate passes the ball far off, instead of just panicking and letting it go, I’m chasing after it. I’m trying to bring it back. Or if it’s not a good set, instead of panicking and hitting it into the net, I’m trying to keep the ball in play. So I feel like we’ve done a good job of having each other’s backs even when someone makes a mistake,” Coach Tadlock said.

The team uses this mindset during games to play its best. After every point, the players gather in the middle, touching shoulders, making eye contact, and encouraging each other whether they win or lose the point. This helps the team avoid getting quiet and discouraged after mistakes and giving up as the game continues.

In addition to learning to support each other through mistakes, they have also learned to have fun on the court. The team’s improvements throughout the season have also come from learning to relax and have fun playing volleyball as a team. Coach Tadlock explained, “I like watching the team when we’re not playing volleyball. Everyone’s friends are silly and work well with each other and genuinely care for each other. So I’d like to see more of that on the court.”

“I think sometimes we just get nervous, and then that part doesn’t come out as much. But I think when we’re having fun and kind of being our silly selves, we even relax and play even better,” Tadlock said.

When the girls relax and have fun on the court, they aren’t in their heads and worried about mistakes.

Vivienne Pape, a player on the AHJS Blue volleyball team, explained that the teammates have grown closer, which has caused them to play better together.

“I think we’ve all become better friends as a team. And a lot of us already hang out, like, off the court. I think we’ve all grown more together. And our teamwork has been better because we know the players more than we did before the season started.”

“I think we accomplished winning our district championships by working better together as a team while helping each other up when we lose a point in a game or drill,” Vivienne explained.

Coach Tadlock explained that she plans practice in a way where they work on individual skills, then work up to gameplay as a team. This helps each player get better at a certain skill, then learn to use it in a live game with their teammates.

“So, I feel like the way that I plan practice is I try to plan little skills, like individual skills, and then the next drill we do will add one piece to that. So then, by the end of the week or closer to the game, we’re doing more full game drills, but we keep whatever that focus was earlier in the week. We’re maintaining that all the way through,” Tadlock said.

This helps them prepare for the game ahead as a player and team. The team will specifically practice skills that will be helpful in the upcoming game. For example, if the team has hard hitters, the team will strengthen its passing and defense skills.

Ultimately, the team has made big improvements on and off the court. Everything the players have done throughout the season has helped each individual player and the team improve their skills.

“As a team we won our district championship by working together and bringing each other up when we were loosing,” Vivienne Pape said.

In the end, the team came together and worked hard to become district champions.