Girls Volleyball Digs into Playoffs After 8-2 Season

The girls ended the regular season with a 2-0 victory against Edward R. Murrow on October 28. *Photo: Riley Gitlin*

By LILY DENG

After an exciting 8-2 season, the Girls Volleyball Team won their first playoff match against Benjamin N. Cardozo by a score of 2-0, but were then defeated 2-1 by Staten Island Tech on November 13 in the G-Gym.

During their second round match, the team won the first set 25-14 but lost the second and third sets 25-20 and 25-15, respectively.

The girls dominated their first playoff game, against Cardozo, on November 10. The team’s offense persevered as they won both sets 25-14.

“I think we played amazing games this playoff season,” said Captain Nicole Chen ‘26. “I am so proud of everyone. We fought hard for every point.”

During the last game of the regular season on October 28, the team triumphed over Edward R. Murrow 2-0 in the G-Gym.

“We started strong with an excellent first set, executing well in every area,” said Mr. Tommy Ma, the team’s coach. “However, we faced some challenges early in the second set and made several unforced errors.”

Their success wasn’t handed to them as tension started to rain down. “Being in the right mental state was really difficult,” said sophomore Ulyana Shakhlevich. “Volleyball is a game of mistakes.”

Mr. Ma called an early timeout during the second set. “I reminded the players to focus on minimizing offensive errors,” he said. “I emphasized the importance of patience, staying focused on the details and the process rather than the outcome.”

Maggie Zhu ‘29 turned the tide by incredibly acing ten balls in a row, turning a 9-8 deficit into an 18-9 lead, securing their success against Murrow. With the win, the team clinched second place in the division.

There was some “really good competition” this year, said setter Becky Lin ‘29. “A lot of schools had either really good defense or offense. It allows players to get experience and practice.”

With the introduction of six new freshmen and only three returning seniors, the team had to nearly rebuild their foundation from scratch, but they persisted.

“It’s amazing,” said freshman Natalie Gilboa. ”My teammates are so supportive and my coach wants the best for all of us.”

“The new players have clicked very well, and there is a strong bond within the team,” said Chen.

“I’m really happy with my teammates,” said middle blocker Nicole Anderson ‘29. “The matches this year – I wouldn’t change any of them because they were all learning experiences for me.”

The last day of the season was also Senior Night, where the squad honored Chen, Avani Vietro, and Monica Fan with individualized posters and custom gift baskets to emphasize their hard work and devotion to volleyball.

“The coach gave a speech for each of them,” said Sevinch Shodmonova ‘27. “Our seniors are really great captains and brought our team closer with their leadership.”

Shakhlevich added, “Everyone was cheering for each other [that day, against Murrow] and making some really great defensive plays. That day we felt like a real team that knows how to have fun and play good volleyball.”

With their only two losses during the season coming from John Jay Campus, the team is determined to enhance their skills to eventually beat them. “Not just me,” said Shakhlevich, “but everyone on my team can agree that John Jay is a school we’ve been wanting to beat for a while and we won’t give up just because we didn’t win yet.”