The transition from middle school to high school isn’t easy for anyone, including the girls on the freshman girl’s volleyball team. 

“I feel like transitioning coaches is the biggest thing, just because each coach has different things they do,” said Divya Gouni, freshman volleyball player. 

Even with the change in coaches, practice times, and schools, the girls are putting their best efforts into improving their skills and beating their competition. 

“We did a lot of vigorous drills to prepare ourselves for the game, because we expected them to be hard,” said Prisha Ebburu, another player on the team. 

There are different drills that are used during practice. For Ebburu, conditioning drills are what helps the team the most. 

“We did a lot of running around and passing on the move more than stationary,” she said.

Coach Schoblocher is also big on ‘moving to the ball and getting behind it, rather than reaching for it,’ said Gouni.

Aside from all the physical practices they are required to do, they need to prepare mentally as well. 

“I get anxiety a lot, especially because there’s always a lot of people,” said Aanika Dewan, another player on the team. “So you have to tune everything out and focus on the ball.”

Chemistry is another essential part of the sport for Coach Scho. For the team, it’s what led them to victory on their fourth game of the year. 

“Coach Scho is big on chemistry on the court,” said Gouni. 

Having a close bond with teammates on the court forms an understanding between the players, which allows them to trust each other during the game.

“It [team bond] helps so much because we encourage each other for every single play and we’re always there for each other,” said Ebburu.

Having each other to count on makes the relationship between the players stronger. 

“If you mesh well with the people around you, she [Coach Scho] will put you in because that’s how you get the best play,” said Gouni.