Building off of last year’s success, the varsity girls volleyball team has earned an impressive 7-4 record so far this season.
The team has numerous skilled players who bring passion for the sport. “I love volleyball, because it’s not only a competitive sport, but it’s also a collaborative sport,” senior Co-captain Ava Cashman said. “Every single point is possible because each person on the team contributes to it.”
The coaches also enjoy coaching the sport for this reason. “I love the team aspect of it,” Head Coach Cameron Biondi said. “It’s really challenging in volleyball because if one person is making a mistake or one person is down then you have to rely on everyone else to build them up.”
Despite a rocky beginning of the season, falling to Taft 3-4 and Greens Farms Academy 3-1, the team has been having an impressive streak of wins recently. The Wyverns immediately got back into their rhythm, with a four win streak against St. Luke’s (3-2), Wilbraham and Monson (3-0), Ethel Walker (3-0), and Suffield (3-1).
Following this success, they lost two games to Greenwich Country Day School and King,
falling 3-0 in both games. The girls used these losses as motivation for their next games against Pomfret and Worcester, dominating against both opponents.
Cashman noted the team’s strengths that have allowed them to find success. “Our team is very technically sound, especially because we have a lot of club players,” she said. “So whether it’s our serves or our defense or hitting or blocking or setting, almost all aspects of our play are very solid. Especially when it comes to our serving our team has seen major growth from the first game to our most recent game.”
Despite this, Coach Biondi noted the team still has a lot to improve on. “We’ve gotten into a general rhythm for the season and understand how our team succeeds,” he said. “But, still there are times where it takes us a while to end each game to really get to our highest level.” Although the team is talented, there still are moments on the court where the Wyverns struggle to communicate and have come close to falling to less-competitive teams. The girls looked to improve on this later in their season.
The volleyball team has enjoyed the support from the KO community throughout their season. “I think out of the fall sports, volleyball definitely garners a lot of attention,” Cashman pointed out. “It’s a really fun and nice way for people to come watch KO sports and support.
The spirit of the Wyvern Den was definitely showcased during their annual Dig Pink game on Wednesday, Oct. 11, and their away game at Miss Porter’s School on Friday, Oct. 27, which coincidentally was their pink game. The Dig Pink fundraiser is a game in which all the proceeds go to breast cancer awareness and research for the Sideout Foundation. During both games, the Wyverns dominated, 3-1.
With volleyball reaching the midpoint of the season with a 7-4 record, they are sure to keep playing great in the future. They look to secure victories in their upcoming games against Berkshire School on Nov. 4, and Cheshire Academy on Nov. 6!
