Junior varsity volleyball team ‘improved’ throughout season

By Allie Worchell and Emma London|November 14, 2018

Photo credit: Yasi Gohar

Giana Parks ’21, Ali Aragon ’22, Katelyn Chi’22, Faith Soriano ’22, Arielle Janger ’20, Emily Eshel ’21, Andrea Ramirez ’22, Mikayla Weinhouse ’22, Zoe Berman ’21, Amber Calvert-Jones’21 and Mikaela Foronda ’22 pose for a photo in front of Archer. The team is open to all upper school students.

Bump, set, spike. The ball goes soaring through the air and lands on the other side of the net. The Archer girls stand, forming a sea of grey and white. This is the process that the junior varsity volleyball team has been practicing since August.

The season lasted around three months. Sophomore team captain Emily Eshel expressed appreciation for the team’s “dynamic.”

“We improved so much from the beginning,” Eshel said. “Our skills got better, we became more fluid and we all worked together by the end.”

Eshel has been on the team for two years, but this is her first year as captain. She said being a team captain means embracing leadership and acting as a mentor towards younger players. She thinks “cooperation” is an important skill in having a successful team.

“We always play as a team really well — we never play as individuals — which is really important for a team sport,” Eshel said. 

The team is composed of 11 girls, ranging from freshmen to juniors. The team is open to all upper school students regardless of skill level.

“I liked getting to meet all the girls. It was my first year coming and playing volleyball. [The girls] are all so nice and inclusive and the coaches taught me so much,” freshman Mikayla Weinhouse said. 

Freshman Katelyn Chi, another junior varsity player, has been playing volleyball for three years.  She enjoys the “teamwork” that the junior varsity team brings.

“You need to rely on your teammates,” Chi said. “Without the pass, you can’t set and without the set, you can’t hit and without hitting you can’t score the point.”

Chi said one of her most memorable moments of the season was a game against Windward School.

“We won one match, and [Windward] won one match. It was 15-14 and we won that point,” Chi said. “Everyone was really excited. [We] thought it was one of the best games.” 

Eshel spoke about the “extreme” amount of passion among the girls on the team, and how it impacted their relationships.

“Our drive to win is what bonded us together,” Eshel said. “We all became really close with each other.”