Volleyball programs reached higher level

By Luke Tan ‘24

Approaching the end of their season strong with a 10-5 varsity record, the Rams volleyball teams have grown tremendously this past season. The season began with a tough match against Highland Park, but the varsity maintained a roughly equal win to loss ratio through September. In October, the team caught their big break with an amazing five-game winning streak. The real outcome from this season is not just a great record, but also the skills the girls have gained as a team.

The team welcomed many new faces in September, and despite this new challenge, both JV and varsity have worked to be able to function smoothly. Heidi Pan ‘24 explains: “If I had to describe this volleyball season in one word it would be growth. It was a season of learning for everyone, even those with prior experience on the team.”

Indeed, through long practices and perseverance, the teams emerged victorious.

“Individually, each team member worked hard on and off of the court to work on and improve their weaknesses,” Anushka Dalal ‘24 said.

The varsity team challenged harder teams in the GMC tournament, where they won a tough match against South Plainfield but lost to East Brunswick. The varsity will end its season competing in tournaments and continue to strive to play harder teams and better their skills. This drive for improvement and teamwork has resulted in a great record, but also set the stage for them to excel next year as well.

Coach Raquel Belo says, “We learned how to trust each other on the court, and how to mentally toughen up on the court when things aren’t going smoothly. This team learned how to play smart and with heart.”

Shane Tonery, the new assistant coach, was another new face on the team. He believes the greatest thing we have learned this season is “how to pick yourself up when you’re down.”

The Rams have indeed picked themselves up throughout the season, and are ready to reach even greater heights next year.