With fall sports at an end, it’s impossible to forget about the girls varsity volleyball team, who fought their way to playoffs for the third year in a row.  On Saturday, October 25th they faced Brooklyn Friends in the semi-finals.  Although the gym was hotter than a NYC subway in  summer, the girls ended their season strong.

The team consists of four seniors and nine sophomores.  Because they lacked a few extra upperclassmen, the 10th graders rose to the challenge and became fellow leaders on the team.  In fact, the age gap had a positive effect on their season.

“Being a sophomore on varsity without juniors was tough at times when we had to step up as leaders but was overall really fun.  It also gave our team a chance to become closer with the seniors and come together as a team,” says sophomore Savana Minerva.

If one were to describe the team in a phrase, the phrase that comes to mind would be always striving for growth, individually and as a unit.  At the beginning of the year, the girls struggled a bit, due to all of the graduated seniors they’d lost and changes on the team. However, the girls took this as an opportunity to learn even more.

Alex Pachter, one of the team’s senior captains and setters, took Olivia Abramchik-Cavallo, a sophomore, under her wing to teach her the ins and outs of setting.  Olivia worked extremely hard every day and is now setting like a pro.  The setter is a player who touches every second ball to assist the hitter.  This is the hardest position to play.  In addition to sweating through your jersey, the setter has a responsibility to keep players happy on the court and to make sure the team is always moving forward.  Senior Alex Pachter commended Olivia on her fantastic work:

“I was so excited to hear Olivia was chosen to be this season’s setter! During preseason, Olivia didn’t really think she had what it took, but over the course of the season she grew into a beautifully confident setter and really took ownership of the position. I’m so proud of her hard work. She’s going to be a superstar next year!” This is a perfect example of  an underclassmen stepping up on the court.  Not only that, but Pachter did an amazing thing by helping her teammate when she needed guidance.

When asked about the season, Laura Gilbert, a senior captain said, “It was a rocky start for us because we lost one coach, got a brand new coach, and a new group of players.  However, as the season went on, the team got closer and closer.  Our last game was our strongest of the year.  Even though we lost, I believe it was a win because of how hard each and every one of us played.”

Overall, the varsity volleyball team had an exhilarating season.  When the team struggled, they struggled together.  When the team succeeded, they succeeded together.  They definitely deserve praise for how hard they worked this season, despite the age gap.  Great job, girls!  The underclassmen are so excited to continue their time as athletes here at BC and hope to fulfill the roles of their four amazing seniors: Alex, DeAndra, Laura, and Nicole–we wish you an abundance of luck and thank you so much for all your time and effort on the team.