The volleyball smacked the ground, players cheered and the crowd erupted.  Behind that single play were hours and hours of hard work and dedication.

The Girls Varsity Volleyball Team is revving up for the playoffs ahead of them. With a current 10-6 record in conference, the team is working hard as ever to excel past last year’s old standards.

“Our skills have evolved tremendously,” said Alyssa Lanzi, who is one of the team’s starting setters.

Not only has the team been practicing more than last season, the practices themselves have changed as well.

With practices lasting four hours on Saturdays and grueling morning practices, it’s no wonder the team has performed better this year as opposed to last. Despite their hard work and high standards, the team still has their flaws.

“Our biggest competition is ourselves,” said Lanzi, Div. 856. “If we put our minds to it and the whole team is focused, we’re very solid. We tend to beat ourselves up too much when we make small mistakes.”   

Despite their progress with acting as a team, communication has always been a lacking factor, according to Lanzi.

Basic things like calling for a ball are one of the communication problems they face.

“Communication is a mental error, not physical,” Emily Collins, Div. 865, said. “Physical errors happen, it’s the mental mistakes that kill a team.”

“This year’s mindset is a lot different compared to last year’s,” Lanzi said. The team really believes in themselves and they collaborate very well together, she said.

Last season the team lost three of their starting players, but that has not fazed them on the court. Collins, the starting libero, has really noticed a change in the team’s atmosphere.

“We’re all emotionally devastated because of the loss of our seniors last year,” Collins said. “But we’re adjusting very well now.”

She also mentioned that the team has acted more as a “unit” this year, benefiting them on and off the court. “We’re really determined and excited to see what the rest of our season holds,” Collins said.

A notable factor about the team is how close they are.

“Everyone knows that a team can’t play well if they don’t like one another,” Lanzi said. “The great thing about our team, and the Lane Tech Volleyball program as a whole, is that we’re all so close.”

Strong teamwork leads to strong outcomes, and the varsity team has showed people that.

Mikayla Lang, Div. 760, is an outside hitter for the team and has been on varsity volleyball since junior year. With this being her last year she is sad to leave everyone on the team.

“I’ve played with these girls for the past 3-4 years and we’re practically family. It’s gonna be really hard to leave them this year,” Lang said. She feels like she needs to lead by example, especially for the underclassmen on the team.

“It’s my last year and I’m gonna make it count,” Lang said. “I might as well have fun with it and also play at the best level I can.” Lang, along with a couple of other seniors will come to the end of their volleyball career this year.

Rachel Fuller, Div. 770, is especially sad about it. “It’s gonna be really hard to say goodbye to the sport I fell in love with when I was a kid.” She’s making the best of the season she has left and can’t wait to start a new part of her life in college.

For the rest of the team, the girls are looking ahead to the remainder of their season and how they’ll perform in playoffs. With new standards and a better team, the upcoming games are something you don’t want to miss.