The Friends Girls Varsity Volleyball team had a very successful year, finishing in second place in the ACIS conference and only losing two games throughout the season. This was exciting because the team went up against tough competitors, and the odds weren’t exactly in the team’s favor.
To understand how this turnaround came to be, I sat down with team captains Morgan Maslansky ‘24 and Tamara Gisiger ‘24, who were eager to share how the season went and some highlights of the season. The team captains believe that the start of the season is the most difficult because it takes a while for the team to find their groove. Preseason is always a difficult time for the team, as the players are getting to know each other and understanding the various plays. After the initial obstacles, the team captains thought that the players really pushed themselves and ended up having a great team dynamic. The captains referred to the girls on the team as “one unit, like a family or a group of sisters.” Even though only six girls are playing at once on the court, the team comes together as one to support each other. The team became stronger and more connected as the season went on, showing great spirit by always cheering each other on. Both captains said that the players showed tremendous commitment both on and off the court. Building this level of camaraderie was the main goal for the captains, and both Gisiger and Malansky felt as though they truly achieved it.
The team captains said their favorite game was against Packer—Friends’ main rival—was also their most challenging. Friends was only one point away from winning in the final set of the match but unfortunately succumbed to Packer’s efforts. The hope when playing volleyball is to “always have the ball going, and for the team to be lunging and diving to keep the ball in the air,” the captains said, and the team certainly came together to keep this season going. Both Malansky and Gisiger agreed that the team played the best it has in recent years.
Although they lost and were disappointed, they learned a lot and felt they had given it their all and played their best. Over the course of the season teammates became very close. The captains stressed that a vital part of volleyball is to always keep energy up, and never letting their team spirit die down.
Overall, the team had a great season and their future looks very bright.