A Recap of the Girls Volleyball Team
Ella Goldstein
Bump, set, spike. It seems that simple, but behind AJA’s girls volleyball team’s swift sets, perfect passes, and powerful kills lies much more than just good form. This season, one of the girls volleyball team’s priorities was to have a constant champion mentality. This means that whatever they do, they do as champions — whether it’s during school, at home, or during a volleyball game. One way the team strived to accomplish this was by writing letters to themselves that elaborated on each player’s specific personal goals for the season. Then, the girls taped the notes onto their lockers. This way, whenever they are in the locker room, the players would have a reminder about what to focus on, and more importantly, what their teammates should encourage one another to pursue.
Since the players have letters that are accessible to their teammates, they also started writing notes to each other when they recognize a teammate improving or accomplishing a goal. This system reassures each girl that her teammates notice and appreciate her developing her skills. Co-Captain and senior Helena Asherian reflected that through this and many other strategies, “[she] made it [her] goal to help and encourage [her] teammates to be the best volleyball players they can be.”
The letter idea belongs to Coach Kaitlyn. Returning for her second season coaching AJA’s volleyball team, Coach Kaitlyn Woodruff is constantly working hard. She has brought new inspiration to the team by always encouraging the players and helping them improve in their individual skill sets. Coach Kaitlyn started playing volleyball in 8th grade, and she later went on to play volleyball for Oglethorpe University. Throughout her volleyball career, she has learned many strategies and skills that she passes down to the team. Her capability to find the balance of fun and hard work motivates the players to push themselves and grow as teammates. Practices are never easy, but thanks to Coach Kaitlyn’s constant encouragement, funny jokes, and original drills, the players leave feeling accomplished and happy.
With fourteen girls on the team and only six on the court at a time, not every athlete gets to play in each game. But, over the course of the season, everyone learned what it really means to be a champion — that cheering on the sidelines is equally important as acing a serve. A player who gets everyone hyped up to come to the games is just as valuable as a player who makes a perfect pass every time on defense. The girls learned that an incredibly fun loss is worth more than a boring and lifeless win; that is what it means to be a true champion. As freshman Jemima Schoen put it, “Everyone has a role on the team: hype-girl, digger, hitter, never-giver-upper. . . I realized that I could use this as a lesson: You don’t always have to fit the mold. Be the best you can be at whatever need you’re filling.”
The Lady Jags have learned such valuable lessons that they will carry with them for a long time, and what better way to do that than by playing their favorite sport! The fun and the friends that the team has made in the process are filled with life-long memories that they are so lucky to have. Go Jags!
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