New Trier Girls Varsity Volleyball lost the Championship game for the state title. But they walked away with a proud second.
New Trier beat out Mother McAuley last Friday with a 16-25, 25-22, 25-19 win over the Mighty Macs, no small feat. Mother McAuley has won more (13) Girls Volleyball State Championships than any other school in the state. This win guaranteed the Trevs a place in the final match, the first Trevs to advance that far since 1975. And they brought home a state trophy for only the second time in New Trier Girl’s Volleyball history.
The team’s opponent was Benet Academy, the defending state champs.
But Benet had the upper-hand and won the match with 21-25, 25-22, 25-17. New Trier rallied in the second game to a win, but couldn’t pull it together in the end.
New Trier’s Taylor Tashima, a junior, had 4 kills and 32 assists. Brittani Steinberg walked away with 17 kills. She also tied junior Emmy Friedler for team honors with seven digs.
Haley Fauntleroy, a starter who had 7 kills, and reserve Abbey Boyd, who had 5 kills, contributed to the offense along with Sophomore Sarah Shafiq who left the match with 4 kills.
The team had an impressive, record-breaking 39-2 season, which was due to their drive.
It was a single-season school record, including the record 25-match winning string the team had during their regular season. “The team is more than the players you see playing on the court. It takes our full team, playing hard and getting better for our team to grow and hit our goals. It is a long and busy season and the team has done a great job of pushing through and pushing each other,” Coach Hsieh said.
The full team is what makes this set of girls stand out. “The team has really good chemistry. We all love each other and push each other and if one of us is having an off day, we help motivate them more. We’re all really close.” Grace Pecora, a setter for the team, said. “If one of us is having an off day or feeling done, we’re all there to help motivate and support and they end up playing to their full potential” she said. The coaches are a big part of the team too. “We love our coaches. They look out for us,” Pecora said.
And the coaches are proud of their players. “The team is proud of their record, as they should be, since it is something no one has accomplished before them, but the record isn’t what we are after — nor was it ever a goal at the beginning of the season. It is just a result of playing hard.” Hsieh said.