The girls’ Lewis Cass Varsity Volleyball team has struggled in past years in terms of competing, but this year, the girls saw a fresh start with a new conference. This year’s Varsity team includes; freshman; Brooklynn Kraner, Lauren Tocco, Lexi Gotshall, sophomores; Emma Hildebrand, Ava Hubner, Kami Silcox, juniors; Maryn Zeck, seniors; Nia Maroney, Maci Garland, Haley Miller, Marta Specchi, and Abbey Hileman.
Freshman, Brooklynn Kraner, was asked her thoughts on how the season has gone so far, what the team excels at, and what they need to improve upon. “I think the season is going well,” states Kranner, “There were a few games we struggled with but overall I think we are good. I also think we need to improve on talking and having more energy. I think we are good at getting kills and passing the ball.” Brooklynn has handled playing varsity very well as a freshman because she is great at attacking and blocking and uses these skills to help her team exceed. Brooklynn is working toward being successful in high school, so she can be even more successful later in college.
When interviewed on her thoughts about the new conference and season so far, Coach Cowell said, “ I think the new conference has given us the ability to compete against schools that are more like us in many ways. We are now competing with smaller schools and programs which is giving us a better chance to be competitive and win more matches.” When asked her thoughts on the second half of the season her response was, “I think it’s very possible the rest of the season could be better than the first half. Our end goal is to be the best we can be by sectional time, so I hope our season only gets better. We’ve started out pretty well being 8-9, but we’ve only had 3 conference matches so far (2-1). I think it will be a challenge every step of the way, but I’m excited to see how we compete with our remaining conference schedule!” Finally, when asked how this team compared to past teams, the coach said, “ I believe this is the best JV that we’ve had in my 5 years of coaching. It’s got a lot to do with getting our younger program stronger. Since I’ve been here we have created a 6th grade team and held kids camps which get our girls thinking about and playing volleyball from a younger age. As far as Varsity goes, I think we have come out very strong this season. We’ve already passed last year’s win record and we are only halfway through the season.”
Senior Maci Garland was asked about her experience over the past four years in volleyball and how it has shaped her into who she is today, her response was, “Volleyball has created an outlet for me, I know that I can always go play even if I’m feeling stressed.” Volleyball has been Maci’s go-to when she needs it most. When asked her thoughts on what volleyball taught her Garland said, “Volleyball has really taught me a lot about what it means to be a teammate and how to treat others with the same respect I would want to be treated with.” These characteristics are definitely present in Maci. She sets a great example and is always encouraging. She shows the characteristics of a great leader; she is hardworking and encouraging. Maci has played varsity all four years of high school. She has used her skills to help her team be successful. Finally, when asked what she will take with her from playing the past four years Maci said, “Something I would take away from the past four years is to enjoy the seasons as they’re happening, too many times you wish away the school year but it goes so fast you need to enjoy every minute!”
The Varsity Girls Volleyball team is working hard to continue to have success this season and continue to have a program for the future that will compete and win. The new conference will be the foundation of this program and will help the volleyball program continue to grow and compete. The girls mid-season is 8-9 and they hope to compete and end the season with a winning record. With the new conference and the motivation from the past games, they have a great chance at competing at a high level.
