Though it’s early on in the season, the varsity volleyball team is looking strong as they are undefeated and looking great.
To get warmed up, the varsity volleyball team started with two scrimmages before officially beginning the season. The first scrimmage was on Labor Day at Glastonbury High School against a multitude of schools. It was a long day of scrimmaging other teams, and Head Coach Scott McDonald was quite pleased with how the day went. “The day was a chance for us to really look at everybody who’s on the team in competition,” he said. “We were really happy with how the team held up that day.”
The second scrimmage was against Northwest Catholic, which provided a different experience for the team as the scrimmage was in more of a gameday format. The scrimmage went quite well for the team as they won best-out-of-five in three sets. Senior Co-captain Keira Sullivan spoke on the performance of the team. “It was a really strong showing for us,” she said. “It was great to get in a game-like scenario, especially for our newer players.”
Though the season is young, team chemistry is key for this team with six returning players and a young roster overall. Sullivan and senior Co-captain Jillian Plaut have been making efforts to ensure the team works well together. “Keira and I are trying to make an effort to connect with the underclassmen,” Plaut said. “Overall, I think we mesh really well.”
To get ready for the start of the season, the team has done a variety of drills to prepare for a multitude of situations. “We’ve done a lot of offense, practicing our hitting, and serving,” Sullivan said. Coach McDonald highlighted a range of players who will be impact players. He mentioned junior Ava Cashman, junior Allie Arcaro, and junior Jillian Alexander. He also mentioned some of the new, younger players: sophomore Alex Segal and eighth-grader Lila Klinzmann who will both be great players in the future.
The season officially kicked off on Wednesday, Sept. 14, against Taft School. The game went down to the wire, with KO coming out on top, with a score of 3-2. It was a back-and-forth affair for the entire match. Taft took the first set despite strong serves from Sullivan and Cashman. KO took the second set and Taft took the third. In a must-win fourth set, the Wyverns came up big, winning the set 25-5 and forcing a set five. Cashman went on a monstrous 10-point service run, which was quickly followed by a five-point run by Alexander. The final set was a thriller. The Wyverns took the lead early before Taft rallied back, forcing extra points. In extra points, KO pushed forward to win the game, set, and match.
The second match was less of a thriller. On Saturday, Sept. 17, the volleyball team held their home opener against Greens Farms Academy. The Wyverns established their dominance at home, winning 3-0. The team then faced and defeated St. Luke’s on Wednesday, Sept. 21, with a score of 3-1, keeping them undefeated early on in the season.
The Wyverns continue rolling in the first month of the season. They took on Wilbraham & Monson Acadamy on Saturday, September 24, winning in another commanding victory 3-0. The season continues for the varsity volleyball team as they will take on. The varsity volleyball has proved their dominance early in the season and we hope that they will continue their winning streak throughout the season!
