The South Windsor High School girls’ Freshman Volleyball Team saw an unfortunate loss to their first home game of the season as they fell 0-2 to Bristol Central on Monday, September 8th, 2025.
To begin the first set, Sofia Natal, considered to be one of the freshman team’s best servers, served winning 2 points, one being an ace — a serve that results in an immediate point for the team with 1 or less touches from the opposing side — for South Windsor. Following the strong start, Bristol Central sided out after a missed serve resulting in 8 points for the Rams. In all, 11 serves were made from the first set, with a final score of 14-25.
Starting out the second set, Bristol Central served strongly over the net, looking to intimidate the Cats. However a strong rally proved helpful for the Lady Bobcat’s morale, giving them the confidence to put up a fight against the Rams. Although the sets’s ending score was 25-20 with Bristol winning, the Lady Bobcats showed a strong recovery.
After the loss, Freshman Girls’ Volleyball Coach Keith Raczkowski gave his thoughts of how his freshman team played at the home opener.
“The girls were prepared, enthusiastic, and worked as a team. They quickly learned their rotations, and their passing and setting were outstanding,” Raczkowski told The Prowl.
Raczkowski has been engaged in volleyball for over twenty years, once serving as an official. He is also a substitute teacher for South Windsor High School.
After the loss, Coach Raczkowski wanted to improve the girls’ playing.
“The only thing needed was to get their serves in, and that should be fixed very quickly,” Raczkowski said.
The girls ended up getting 64% of their serves over, with 13 point opportunities lost from missed serves, a crucial statistic to be considered by the coaching staff.
Gargi Ahirrao, one of the starting players on the freshman volleyball team, gave her opinion on how the game went.
“For me, the hardest part of the home game against Bristol Central was the nerves,” Ahirrao commented. “The team did really well on staying positive, creating a good environment for whoever was on the court at the time.”
Ahirrao specializes in backrow and defensive positions on the court. Her teammates described her as a reliable player, and highlighted her ability to play any position she is asked.
The freshman team has an away game at Enfield on Friday, September 12th. In the meantime, the Lady Bobcats are hard at work, hoping to improve on their previous mistakes and put a win on the board.
