With a 3-0 winning streak against Lowell, Weston, and Hudson, Westford Academy Girls’ Volleyball has been dominating their competition this season. The girls’ team is extremely optimistic about what the future holds.
Last fall, the team made it to the first round of playoffs, and this year they want to continue to show their strength on the court.
“Our main goals are to win and have fun while doing so,” senior captain Navya Balineni said.
This season there are a lot of new faces, and according to head coach Brandon Eang, the girls have a lot of drive to succeed. Not only are the players attending all the practices, but they are also constantly making an effort to improve their skills through questions and advice.
“A lot of the girls come to me and ask me how to do a certain serve as well as other plays that we do,” senior captain Sophie Krauss said. “The girls are driven, motivated, and have a desire to work hard and put their best foot forward.”
The team chemistry has shown to be very strong this year, making it easier to work as a team when playing games, and in practice. This comes from the hours spent during practice emphasizing the skills required to perform well on the court. Because of their success, the team has been able to bond. The captains feel that it is important to keep morale high and celebrate every achievement made throughout the season.
“I’ve never felt more proud of a team,” Krauss said, “All the work that is put in practice shines through during the game performances, leading to the team’s early success.”
The team still wants to work on their communication on the court.
“Our team has a lot of people who are more soft spoken and so sometimes communicating on the court is a challenge for us,” Balineni said.
The captains plan to work on this by approaching practices with a more game-like mindset so that people aren’t as shy to communicate during games.
Off the court, the captains want to leave an important legacy. As seniors, they want to ensure that they are a part of the growth of the underclassmen as volleyball players. The skill on the team is strong but it is also important to focus on the more personal aspect of the team environment.
“Being seniors, it is a priority to us that we can set the underclassmen and others on the team up for success, and create a friendly environment for them to be comfortable and bring out their full potential,” Krauss said.
This is done by events such as team dinners before games which involve team-bonding time and activities.
“In the past, we haven’t always been completely regular about hosting spags,” Balineni said. “But this year, we [our team] have a schedule about who hosts these events because it’s important to remember that we are a team in addition to our talent.”
All in all, the girls have optimism that they will continue to succeed this fall.
Westford Academy Volleyball will take on Wayland High School on Wednesday, September 18 at 5:00 p.m.
