With tryouts over and a new team assembled, the Paly volleyball team is positive about preparing the new team for an exciting season.
“Our Paly volleyball season this year is going to be different than any other year, and that’s why I’m excited,” junior Megan Coleman said. “We are a very young team, with only two juniors and two seniors, which will change our team dynamics completely.”
Despite the loss of many graduated seniors, the returning members are confident about what the new players have to offer.
“I think we still have a strong team,” sophomore Melanie Wade said. “Our seniors this year are really good leaders and we have good chemistry.”
During practice, senior co-captain Cassie Prioleau puts a lot of emphasis on teamwork and is foreshadowing a bright future for the team.
“With such a wide age range, team chemistry is really important to us so we can be a strong team when we are presented with tough situations in games,” Prioleau says. “I think right now, there is just a lot of potential for very good, all around, cohesive play. Our team is young, but a lot of the younger girls are really showing their talent and showing that they are ready to perform at the varsity level.”
The teams’ relationships with one another have grown closer through the practices, according to head coach Dave Winn, who is confident in the team’s abilities.
“We want to make them [the team] unified…we got a lot of new players, so we’re continuing to build on to what we already have.” Winn said.
The team, which had a 33-7 win-loss record last year, set a record for the second most wins in Paly history, according to Winn. Prioleau says that despite the loss of so many graduated seniors, the new team, composed mainly of underclassmen, has what it takes to win the league.
“This year, as always, we will have some very good competition and the fight to win league will be a hard one, but I think our team has a lot of potential,” Prioleau says. “We will focus on the roster we have this year and be the best team we can be.”
The team’s first game is against Castilleja at 6:45 p.m. on Sept. 17 in the Paly Boys’ Gym.