The beginning of any sport can be exciting for everyone that is involved. For volleyball, the typical season starts in the beginning of August and lasts through the entirety of hurricane season. This often brings in unpredictable interruptions. Most teams face delays every year due to the weather, and this year was no different because of the impact of the storms that towns faced. Staying motivated as an individual and a team was more important than ever in the volleyball teams’ time off. 

Not getting to practice much before any game can be stressful, but especially before a district final game. Senior on the volleyball team, Vanessa Sierra, stated that she was “super nervous” knowing that the team they were going against (Steinbrenner High School) “had already beat [them] twice.” In the end, Vanessa commented that her main priority was to “[focus] more on what could be achieved than what happened,” and that mindset helped a lot with her confidence during the game.  

In all sports having energy and supporting your team is vital. Vanessa expressed that “something [she] noticed compared to other games was that [there was] a whole lot of energy.” With this mentality, the team was able to sweep Steinbrenner and win in three sets, claiming the title for District Champs! 

Winning districts and moving into Regional games is a huge deal. But with schoolwork starting to pick up, it can be difficult to keep up and multitask.  Lily Hatcher, senior on the volleyball team, says that she “just goes with the flow and [tries] not to worry too much about everything.” Lily stated that keeping up with her work is made easier by “[writing] down all of the stuff [she has] to do and checking everything off as it passes.” 

As the volleyball season continues, the teams that they compete against get harder and there’s a lot more pressure. Due to this, Lily plans on staying positive and “[trying] not to get too stressed with everything going on,” especially with the tension of the Regional final game approaching.  

Even with the unexpected challenges they faced this year, Sunlake’s volleyball team continues to show their resilience. Their wins over the season helps to prove the determination, loyalty, energy, and focus that the team has put in the past few months. Due to the girls’ positive mindsets and ability to adapt quickly, they are sure to make it far this season!