The varsity volleyball team had a great run in the district tournament.They advanced after beating Kenowa Hills and Greenville but ultimately lost against Rockford that Thursday, ultimately ending the 2021 season.
The girls admit that most of their success comes from the hard work they’ve put in, but captain and senior Avery Betteley credits the team chemistry as a large factor.
“I think we were just better as a team, in general, this year than last year,” Betteley said. “We were a lot closer, which helped us work better as a team overall.”
Betteley’s sentiment is backed by head coach Taylor Rich’s coaching attitude this year.
“Covid allowed us to think and reflect on why I coach, or as an athlete, why I play, and that’s the direction I wanted to go into, the sense of a mental and emotional side of sports,” Rich said. “It’s figuring out our goals and what our purpose is.”
For junior Kate Nuffer, a big part of her love for volleyball comes from the camaraderie. This year, she was able to experience a lot more interactions amongst her teammates, due to last year’s pandemic.
“We started doing the team dinners, which was nice because we couldn’t do that last year because of Covid,” Nuffer said. “I feel like we were a lot more connected than last year.”
Photo courtesy to Tom Reynolds.
Betteley loves that as well, so playing volleyball is very personal for her.
“You get to know everyone individually. It’s more like a family and support system,” Betteley said. “It’s really important that everyone is close and kind and nice to each other, and able to create a positive environment.”
Coach Rich is especially proud of the development of all her athletes this year. Rich was encouraged by the new relationships she forged with her players.
“I’m really excited because there’s a lot of girls this year I was able to really get to know, but also see the growth and where all these girls have gone, not just [in] volleyball, but socially and emotionally as well,” Rich said. “They’ve made so much growth in this season.”
Although some of the girls are starting a new sport now that the season is ended, they’re already missing volleyball. For example, Nuffer is beginning her basketball season but is anticipating next year’s volleyball season.
“I’m excited to play next year. Volleyball ended, and I really wish I could keep playing. I was really upset that the season ended,” Nuffer said. “I’m [already] excited to get back on the courts next year and play again.”
Coach Rich is already planning for next year. She quotes a popular slogan in Northview sports, “Work to win.”
“I’m really proud of the girls [for] allowing themselves to be vulnerable and fail, but fail [while] working hard in learning,” Rich said. “You get better when you do that. I’m hoping this helps them with life and they can continue to do their best and realize that failure will happen, but success follows if you keep working hard.”
