The seniors of the varsity girls volleyball team speak on their great season so far and the tough losses against one of their rival teams, RHAM High School. 

Last season, the girls volleyball team was ranked second in the Central Connecticut East League, falling short by just one loss. The only team above was RHAM High School. This year, the Bobcats wanted to come back and take that title. 

They started this season off strong in September, winning their first 2 games. The girls then lost to Conard, but did not let it tear them down and came back to win their next 3 games! The girls felt unstoppable going into their next game but didn’t realize what was about to hit them. The Raptors of RHAM High School. The team they have been preparing for all season. 

The girls had amazing attitudes going into the game. As senior Emily Willoughy says, “We knew it would be a good close game and that either team could come out with a win.” It seems like the girls were confident going into the game, stress free, especially after all their wins so far this season. 

“At the start of the game everyone was very much on edge,” Freshman Bella Mckenna states. “But as the game went on and we started getting points everyone started relaxing and getting eased into the game.” Watching it from the outside, Bella says she believes the Bobcats played very well as they got into the game. All the sets and hits looked great as soon as you could tell they got comfortable. Their confidence shining through as soon as they started scoring points.

From the inside, senior captain Riley Castle says, “We definitely got flustered and fell apart at some points.” Knowing that the Raptors caught up, they got nervous and did not play as well as they could have. As the captain, Riley has the responsibility of leading the Bobcats. She states that going into the games she always feels confident in her team, knowing how strong they are as a unit. This responsibility can be a lot, but she is handling this season very well, despite these two losses. 

“I felt pretty upset after,” Riley says. “Not because we lost, but because I know we could have played better.” This game has motivated Riley to help lead the team to more wins this season and she is not going to let these losses tear them down in any way. This team will get right back up and gain the confidence they had before, going into the rest of their season. 

No matter what has happened for the girls these past couple games, Riley Castle positively states, “You can’t play amazing in every game, but you can’t lose confidence in yourself.”