With an astonishing 28 wins under their belt, New Trier’s undefeated varsity girls volleyball team is fast approaching November’s playoffs with the best record in New Trier history.
Coming off a pair of easy wins at home against Maine South and Evanston on Oct. 11 and 16, the 28-0 varsity team has shattered two previous team records, having the best start to a New Trier season (the previous record was 17-0) and also the longest undefeated streak (previously 19 games).
The Trevians proved they were going to be tough competition from the very start of the season, rolling over 15 other teams to secure a victory at New Trier’s own Summer’s End invite in August and setting a positive tone for the rest of the season. Head coach Hannah Hsieh says that following the team’s success last year, their early-season success was hardly a surprise to the Trevians.
“Coming into this season, we knew we could be a strong team,” Hsieh said, “with several players returning from last year’s starting line-up.” The Trevians then followed this early success with a victory in September’s Round-Robin tournament at Prairie Ridge, putting yet another conference victory under their belt but with an added twist; for the past 5 years, every team to win the Prairie Ridge tournament has competed in the class 4A state championship final, an exciting prospect for the Trevians after having their promising 18-5 season cut short at sectional semifinals last year.
Senior middle hitter Easton Joyce thinks that a big reason behind the team’s success is simply their attitude. “We didn’t overestimate ourselves,” Joyce said. “In the beginning of the season we thought ‘wow, it would be really cool if we could go to state’ and then we blew ourselves away by having this ridiculous, undefeated record.”
Hsieh agrees that the team’s success is more than just a feat of physical prowess. “The strength of this team is their mental toughness,” said Hsieh. “The girls do not get too rattled even if they are down a set, and work consistently to earn points.”
Still, Hsieh believes that regardless of what their record says, the Trevians still have plenty of room for improvement. “There is no such thing as a perfect team,” she said. “We are constantly trying to improve our game. Lately, we have been focusing on blocking and defense.”
Despite already securing its place in New Trier history, the team’s sights are now set firmly on bringing home their first state championship since 1975. “There’s definitely a lot of anticipation and excitement surrounding practice since our state goal becomes more and more attainable,” Joyce said.
With this anticipation comes a sense of pressure to maintain such a high level of performance, though Joyce does not seem to be letting the pressure get to her. “It’s exhilarating that we’ve had such a flawless season,” she said. “It proves that our hard work is paying off.”
“We don’t focus on our record,” Hsieh agreed. “we focus on our playing and the areas that need improvement.”
Hsieh maintains that keeping a perfect record is still second to ensuring that the Trevians are the best team that they can be. “There is definitely an excitement as we near playoffs,” Hsieh said. “It is a do-or-die situation and I will take a loss in the regular season if it means improving our team for the post-season.”