The road to a championship: Girls’ Volleyball.
Grae Zedlitz (‘26), Co-Editor in Chief
Persistence is key. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Many great champions are remembered not simply for their dominance but because of the setbacks they overcame on the road to glory. After falling just short the last three years, Casady Girls’ Volleyball came back this season hungry for more. Fueled by past lessons and future aspirations, they took the state by storm as they swept through the state tournament and proved to the world what they themselves already knew: they’re the team to beat now, and for years to come.
The most successful teams are ones that are player-led. Sutton Fraley (‘26) noted that: “As a senior, I knew it was part of my responsibility to lead the team as best I could, and support the coaching staff during the season.” “We have great leadership at the top, with both our coaches and our players,” Amelia Mullen (‘25) agreed. “They do a great job of supporting us as we step into bigger roles on the team.” Granting your players the freedom to be who they need to be is an aspect rarely seen in high school coaches, and it ultimately proved to be a piece of the puzzle that led to a state championship. Success in team sports is often a product of player-coach harmony, rather than simply making plays and taking orders.
Another piece to the puzzle is realizing when it’s time to simply arm up and get to work. After consecutive losses in the state championships, they came back ready to play. “We went into the season knowing how disappointing and frustrating our shortcomings were last year,” Amelia commented. “We remembered the feeling and made it a goal to play with that chip on our shoulder to help motivate us.” Hungry dogs run faster, after all. A hatred of defeat can often serve as a better fuel than simply a drive to win, and that was proved on the court all season. Adding another side to the story, Haya Zubair (‘26) noted that: “This year, one of our values was playing together. Last year, we were a good team, but this year, by incorporating this value, we really saw a better team out on the court every night.” This was not a value held only by the upper class. Maeve Mullen (‘29) commented that “I feel like the difference maker was realizing as an underclassman how hard the seniors and juniors had worked to make it to this point. I think all the underclassmen realized that we need to step it up and do it not just for ourselves but for them,” she added.
Throughout the season, the unity and drive of the team were on full display. Sweeping through the state tournament with something to prove, the Cyclones dominated their opponents by a combined record of 9-2 en route to a first state championship, and they’re not done yet. The Cyclones will return all six of their starters next year, with victory fresh in their minds and a drive for more. This season has proved that they’re a force to be reckoned with, and they know that the rest of the state is officially under a cyclone watch for years to come.
