What does being part of a family mean?  For Archer’s varsity volleyball captains, Rachael Boehm ’18,  Amelia Nathanson ’20 and Macoy Ohlbaum ’18, family epitomizes their work together both on and off the court — so they selected it as this season’s theme.

The Oracle sat down to find out more about this year’s captains and to discuss their season thus far.

Why do you enjoy volleyball?

Rachael Boehm [RB]: I have been playing for so long that it is a constant in my life. It’s taught me a lot about working hard and made me better in a lot of other things in my life. 

Macoy Ohlbaum [MO]: Me as well with the consistency aspect of it, but for me I also think [of volleyball] as a kind of stress reliever. When I have a bad day at school, for example, I go play volleyball. It really takes my mind off of it, and it also has taught me a lot about leadership and work ethic.  

Amelia Nathanson [AN]: I really like being on a team [and] being able to compete. I also think when you are one a team sport you make long lasting friendship and memories; that is a really special thing to have. 

How is your season going so far? 

AN: So far it is going really well. I think that we have bonded as a team already, which is a really special thing to have. We are really close as a team both on and off the court.

MO: I think we are learning a lot about ourselves as a team. We started off a little rough, but I think it is only going to go up from now because…our team word is family.

What does the team word, “family,” mean to you and your team?

MO: Especially after our first game, losing the [fifth] set 15 to 10, we realized that we did not have the mindset of working together. We were really working individually and “family” was definitely something that not only brought us together, but [taught us to] depend on each other. 

RB: A big part for me is trust, especially on the court. You have to know that [the team] is there…I think family really encapsulated that spirit of trust…When you are doing such a high intensity sport, you are going to have ups and downs. It is a little bit emotional — so when you have a family behind you, it makes it so much easier for you to get through it.  

How to do you work together to as co-captains? Are you excited to work together, and what are you nervous about?

AN: I think it is really exciting to be considered a captain and a leader on this team because of how special this team is. I know that we trust each other and I think that the dynamic between all the captains is really good

RB: [Macoy and I] are very good friends, so it makes it really easy to work with her. It is cohesive; we agree [on] a lot of the fundamental principles of what we want our team to mean and to do.

MO: I think we all serve a really important role on the team as captains. Rachael and I are seniors, so we have more experience. Rachael has the aspect of being in the front row, and I am in the back row. [Because of that] Rachael is more of a front row leader, and I am a back row leader; having that connection between us really helps. Amelia being in 10th grade [helps] the future of the team, and she really communicates with the younger side of the team. I think all those different aspects come together in our word family.

Can you tell me about your new coach Lainey Gera and what she is bringing to the team? What you are excited about?

RB: It is really cool to have such a great female role model. She really encapsulates Archer and “the force is female.” She coaches girls volleyball, and she does not fit this female stereotype that Archer is trying to break. She is tough, she works harder than most people I know and she does not take anything from anyone. She knows who she is and that is so important to our team. Our team is harder working because of her. She does not make us do anything that she physically can not do or mentally can not do. When we are upset that we have to run or something, she runs with us. 

AN: The team this year is very special not only because of how close we are but because of how amazing our coaches, Lainey and Danny [Woodley] are. They are not only supportive, but they are knowledgable about the sport. They are a very important part of our Archer family.