Girls Volleyball Shows Potential and Optimistic Mindset in the 2022 Season
Team picture at the Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School in Waltham, MA (Photo courtesy of Coach Gus King).
On October 24, 2022, the Newman girls’ volleyball team faced off against Marie Philips Academy, ending the Fall 2022 season with a 3-0 loss. Though the Cardinals did not win any games, the season provided ample opportunity for reflection and growth.
“There were a lot of things not in our favor this season, [but] we all managed to come together, [and] just try our best,” said Co-Captain Madeleine Parker ‘25.
Assistant Admissions Director and Coach Gus King provided some context for the team’s initial expectations. “As a team, we approached the season as an opportunity to compete against other teams and work to develop skills. The hope was that the girls gelled as a team and laid the groundwork for future success.”
According to fellow Co-Captain Alice Franceschet ‘25, the goal of making progress as a team was certainly fulfilled. “I feel like we really grew throughout the season. As a group, we [grew from when] we had people who weren’t able to serve at the beginning or [serve consistently].”
Parker and Franceschet agreed that an aspect that could be improved upon for the 2023 season is keeping a positive attitude. However, Coach King already noted some positive characteristics of the team’s mindset.
“The team showed great resilience and attitude - the season did not go the way we wanted in terms of wins and losses, but the team was positive in their approach every day and supported each other as great teammates. I think the team's greatest strength was not getting frustrated and maintaining that positivity even in difficult situations,” King commented.
Newman stood out in the league as being one of the youngest teams to compete, with five eighth graders on the roster. Although playing against more experienced teams was a challenge, the captains commended the performances of the younger players. “I feel like all the eighth graders really stepped it up this year, and worked really hard,” Franceschet said.
King agreed, adding some positive words for the captains themselves. “The captains - Maddie Parker, Abbey Mustafai [‘24] and Alice Franceschet - provided great leadership and poise and were reliable at the net. Fede Lopez [‘27] and Ruby Romer [‘27] were impressive as 8th graders and were our best server and setter, respectively.”
The team showed lots of potential presented in specific moments during matches, although they didn’t win any games. Coach King recalled the October 19th match against Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School (CHCH) in Waltham as a standout example. “CHCH was the best team in our league all season. Despite being at the end of the season that didn't go the way we wanted, our team stood toe to toe with [them], and forced the 3rd set to 32-30. Although we lost the match, our team never got discouraged or intimidated,” King said.
Franceschet remembered the atmosphere during those close moments. “[There was so much] energy on the court during those times – just everyone yelling, cheering each other on.”
Parker agreed. “There were some moments where we had such good rallies and really good plays. That was really fun.”
On improvement for Fall 2023, Coach King is looking for the team to build upon the experience it gained during this season, improve fundamentals, grow the program, and recruit more coaching staff. Overall, the season concluded with an air of positivity.
The team rally before the game at Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall (Photo courtesy of Annabel Poynter).
The team gets ready to hit the ball back to the other team during a match (Photo courtesy of Poynter).
