By Brigid Clifford, Sports Editor

The volleyball team, coached by Carol Moser and Jessica Kostenblatt, played its first varsity season this fall. With a total of 16 players on the roster, nine girls played on the varsity team and seven on JV, though many JV players also participated in at least one varsity game during the season.

Although they didn’t win any whole matches, the team was successful in winning several sets. Despite their record, the girls “did not give up and always kept a positive attitude,” head coach Moser said.

The volleyball team gathers for a team picture after a match at Kent Place. Photo courtesy of John Sanfratello.

According to sophomore Jacqueline Fletcher, one of the team’s biggest challenges was their lack of experience, but they were able to overcome the inexperience through their hard work. “All of the girls on the team put in so much work, and we all wanted to excel. Every single day we would come to practice and give it our all,” Fletcher said.

Over the course of the season, the team improved their knowledge of volleyball and strengthened their skills in the game. Through the help of their experienced coaches, they successfully learned new techniques and put them to use in the matches.

“At the beginning of the season the girls could not receive serves from the opposing team,” said Moser. “In our first varsity match against Raritan, the girls were able to pass the ball to the setter only five percent of the time. Compare this to one of our last games against Neptune where the girls passed the ball to the setter 72 percent of the time. That’s improvement!”

Next season, the team hopes to add more wins to their record, along with more complex plays and offensive lineups that will help them in achieving this goal.