Varsity:

With the commencement of the 2023-2024 season, OHS Girls Volleyball continues to prove they are a force to be reckoned with. The team is starting this season off strong, with a current record [at the time this is written] of 11-1, and many more wins projected to come.

Winning state this year is a very attainable goal that the players are already starting to work towards. By giving maximum effort during games and practices, and fully immersing themselves into the culture of the team, players are already starting to see results. 

 “I think we definitely have a chance to win state,” said Addison France, junior. “We beat the defending state champions last week.”

Having good team chemistry is a crucial aspect to winning games and playing at peak performance. And it all starts outside the court with various team bonding activities.  

“We did this one karaoke night, we go to Cafe Zupas before every game, and we just spend all of our time together honestly,” said Katelyn Lambeth, senior. “It just builds relationships between all seventeen of us.”

At OHS Girls Volleyball, relationships between players are not exclusive to only the members on each separate team. Upperclassmen have shown their talent and leadership by guiding the younger players and showing them the O’Connor way.

“I’m just always trying to set a good example for the younger ones,” Lambeth said.

The reputation of OHS Girls Volleyball is well-known across the valley. This group of talented athletes continues to make a name for themselves, as they carry on their winning streak and show immense promise for new players looking to join a competitive team.

“I’m zoned for Boulder [Creek], but I came to O’Connor for volleyball because I knew they just had an amazing team,” France said.

JV:

With a multitude of pre-season activities, practicing, communicating, and building closer relationships were able to start before the season even began.

“There was a bunch of camps and clinics,” said Keira Simmons, freshman. “I feel like they split it up well by who would be together [on the teams] and we built a close bond working with each other.” 

Even though players are now already in the full swing of games and everyday practices, they still manage to make time for team bonding activities that are not only fun but teach them skills applicable on the court.

“We just did an escape room as a team to work out problem solving skills that we would use in a game,” Simmons said.

As a result the players have been able to build long term friendships that help them connect better on and off the court. 

“We are all kind of cohesive now and working well as a team,” Simmons said.

Freshmen:

Although these players might be new to OHS, they have already adapted a winning mindset through the typical preseason camps and clinics that introduced them to the program, and the expectation of the best from all athletes.

“Even before the teams were made we were more bonded towards each other,” said Ella Ernst, freshman.

The community of OHS Girls Volleyball promotes acceptance and unity. The new freshmen have taken note of that, and feel welcomed with open arms by the upperclassman players and the program as a whole.

“We practice together and we are all really close even though we are on different teams,” Ernst said.

These players are looking to set goals, and adopt the values of OHS Girls Volleyball, to build healthy habits and relationships that will carry them through all four years of their high school volleyball careers. 

”I think one of our team goals is just to play together and play our personal best,” Ernst said.