A 13-5 record, ranked No. 3 in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Division III rankings and a final four appearance in the MIAA Division III tournament, the girls volleyball team certainly racked up accomplishments last year. Along with that, they are moving up from Division III to Division II this year.
This year, the team will look a little bit different, with seven seniors who graduated last year.
“We are focused on trying to rebound from losing all those seniors and figuring out what the new dynamic is going to be heading into the season,” senior captain Kalena Imura said. “Our goal is to get to know each other as a team and learn who works with each other.”
With the newer team however, the preparation has stayed constant throughout the offseason to prepare for the 18-game regular season. Individual workouts and captains’ practices have been a main part of their training.
“Most of our players play club and do beach volleyball during the summer, so there’s a lot of staying fit throughout the offseason,” Imura said. “We also threw captains’ practices throughout the last month or so to get people ready for tryouts.”
The team opens their season with an away game at Newton South on Friday, Sept. 5. When asked what is one word to describe the team heading into the season, Imura said “motivated.”
“Everyone really wants to win and do well, so I think that we’re gonna be able to play scrappy,” Imura said. “That will create a good foundation for us to not be too down on ourselves and really motivate each other throughout games and the season.”
