The volleyball team has been introducing a new philosophy to its players as “Play Hard Play Fast Play Together.”

“The girls have really taken to it. It’s just a matter of getting better at it every day. I wouldn’t call it a weakness; it’s just not a strength yet,” said Jim Sarver, head coach of varsity girls volleyball.

The new strategy is working well but showing room for improvement.  “We can always improve. One of the things we’re trying to do better is play fast,” Sarver said.

The coach and team stresses speed plays immensely since it plays a bigger and more important role in volleyball, especially at the higher levels.  “At the varsity level, the tempo is consistently fast paced resulting in the need for quick play and the ability to react fast,” said varsity captain Sarah Rauch.

Sarver isn’t the only one to think about improvement. Rauch also sees room to improve, and not just in speed. “We work extremely hard but tend to have swings with our energy and quality of play,” Rauch said.

Freshman Alyssa Gerzel also sees the team moving in the right direction, just taking a little time to get to the end result; however, the season is not over yet.

“We have good fight in us. Even though we don’t win that many matches, I feel like we have a lot of potential. We’re so close to getting that click. I feel like if we just keep working, we’re going to get that,” Gerzel said.

The varsity team loves what the new philosophy means and stands for. From making the team play more like a family to fighting hard for every point, this season has come out with the girls giving it their all.

“Play hard encourages devotion and hustle. Play fast pushes us to play to our highest potential and to place the other team under pressure, and play together reminds us that we are one as a team and above all our team comes first,” Rauch said.