Going into the playoffs against Sherwood, the varsity volleyball team could claim an evenly balanced season. The girls found themselves with a 7-7 record, turning in especially strong performances in their final two games against Northwest and Sherwood.

The first round playoff game was expected to be a very close match, but the girls didn’t manage to hang on to their strong successes. With a loss to Sherwood on Oct. 31, their run came to an end in the 2008 playoffs. However, the team wasn’t bothered by this abrupt end to the season.

“You would think it would be [disappointing], but we played a really good team and we lost 3-2,” said junior setter and co-captain Anna Elder. “We took them to five sets and it was the best game we ever played.”

The team felt strongly about their performances throughout the season coming into their first match of the single elimination playoffs.

“In general we did really well,” said Elder. “We improved a lot over the entire season and it couldn’t have gone better.”

Many young, new additions to the team contributed to unexpected wins against Damascus and Northwest. Sophomore players like outside hitter Eleanor Janhunen and defensive specialist Kate Cyr stood out to coach Bill Morris throughout the season. Overall, his whole team made him proud.

“Everyone I put in the [Sherwood] match played really well,” he said. “It was just our best match. Everybody did exactly what they had to do.”