The volleyball team has been preparing for the season all summer long on and off the court. 

“I’m most excited to see my teammates again. We practice every day so I get to be around them a lot. I’m also excited for the games. It’s a lot of fun when the crowd is super packed,” sophomore Addy Rodgers, defense, said. 

The thrill of seeing old faces and making new friends is one of the biggest aspects of sports. Along with this, there are many other dates to be excited about during the season. 

“I’m excited for all the games, but I’m mainly excited for Senior Night and Sectionals because those games are always the most intense and the most people show up to them. It’s fun to have people watching you because it just makes you want to do better,” junior Hailey Sommers, middle, said. 

Some players said this season might be different from the rest. Seniors graduate, and the team circles through players constantly, so the team is always changing. 

“I think it will be different this year compared to last year because we had a lot of good seniors graduate, who were my friends, but we also have a lot of young talent on the team that is going to grow to be a really great environment. I think this season will go well and even surprise people,“ senior Karissa Harris, outside hitter, said. 

The freshmen are confident at filling the graduate’s spots. Like Harris said, the team is young and full of potential. 

“Me along with some others are new to the team so it’s harder for us to mesh with the upperclassmen, but the upperclassmen are super nice so they make it easier to work well with the team,“ freshman Genivive Shroder, outside hitter, said. 

Along with the newbies, there are some returners who are well-prepared for what the season could entail. 

“I think we’ve all prepared really well over the summer. We had workouts and practice every day and we’ve worked really hard. We have a goal to win Sectionals, and we’re going to push each other to achieve that goal,“ Harris said. 

Coach Zachary Mackie is hopeful about the season. 

“We trained really hard over the summer so we should see the fruit of our labor during the season. There are some new faces that can really contribute to the team. Our next game is Tuesday, September 3rd at Martinsville High School.