Joss M.
The College Preparatory School’s Women’s Varsity Volleyball team has experienced extensive growth over the course of their season and have high hopes for the upcoming future. For such a young team, including two freshman and three sophomore starters, the Cougars have had tremendous success – earning themselves 3rd place in BCL East, thanks to their 3-0 win against Bentley on October 3rd. In their league, the team has tallied up six wins and five losses, with a total record of 10-10 including tournament play and non-league matches.
Head Coach Monica Lyman and Assistant Coach Courtney Vu have both cited the team’s greatest strength as their defense and passing ability. So far, five players have tallied over 100 digs each! The Cougars have also dominated their opponents through their serving game, with Scout Ikels, Paige Pak, and Hoda Hekmat consistently aceing their opponents with 34, 31, and 27 aces, respectively.
However, the team also has their fair share of challenges, the main struggle being their lack of height. Without tall blockers, the Cougars have found it difficult to put up blocks that can slow down their opponents offense, as proven by the total tally of only 19 blocks, (a block is when the ball is returned over the net, but isn’t necessarily a kill) over the course of their season. The Cougars blocking weakness has made them struggle against teams like Head Royce and St. Joes, who are both very strong hitting teams.
Off the court, the team is thriving. Coach Courtney describes the team as having the “best team chemistry of any womens varsity team [she has] ever coached.” With strong and organized leadership from the two senior captains, Scout Ikels and Nicole Serrano, the team's productivity in practice has catalyzed the growth of the tight-knit team and fostered strong team chemistry.
Looking forward, the Cougars are heading into playoffs as the 3rd seed, meaning that they will play the 2nd seed, St. Joseph’s, in the first round. After having experienced “an unexpected loss against Bentley last time,” Livia Mazniker, an unfortunately injured but essential player to the team, spoke the day after the match about how proud she is regarding the Cougars’ 3-0 win against Bentley on October 3rd. She described the perseverance of the team and how they “worked [their] butts off, which was what allowed [them] to kill [Bentley] yesterday.” Livia is hopeful about their upcoming game against St. Joes, noting that they are “definitely beatably if we keep our energy high and play our best.”
Come support your Women’s Varsity Volleyball team in their final two home games of the season before playoffs – vs. Archbishop Riordan HS on 10/10 and vs. Athenian on 10/12 for SENIOR NIGHT. Wish a volleyball player good luck heading into their playoff and NCS season!
Phot credits: @cps_radarsports