The varsity volleyball team cruised to a 3-0 victory over Mount Vernon on 9/23. The Atoms had a strong performance and showed a lot of improvement from the start of the season. 

“Some of the key moments that helped the team get the win would be some of the awesome serving runs that happened,” senior Madisyn Dixon said. “A couple of times the person serving would get us a 3 to 8 point lead which is amazing.” 

The team improved to a 2-5 record with two wins in the last three games after the win over Mount Vernon and a 3-1 victory over Park View.

 Although it was a slow start to the season with a four game losing streak, the players seem to have adjusted their game and have finally seen some progress.

 “Our energy and communication was really good during the game,” junior Kennedy Beal said. “I think key moments that helped get us the win were getting some kills and aces to really boost the team’s and spectators’ morale and mood.” 

Also, aspects of the game such as team chemistry played just as big of a role in the victory as technical skill.

 “The main thing that the team did well in the win against Mount Vernon was communicate,” Dixon said. “We had the entire team talking throughout every play and it made a huge difference in making sure every ball was played. We also were the most consistent we have ever been in a game and we had the fewest errors we have ever had.”

 AHS will face Thomas Edison in their next match, which will begin their four-game home stretch. The Atoms hope to practice well in preparation for their upcoming games, where home court advantage should boost their morale.

 “In practices, we worked a lot on serve receive and defense,” Beal said. “I think that what we worked on in practice translated into gameplay which helped us win.” 

The practice sessions have served as a great way for the players to solve many other issues as well.

 “We have been doing a lot of skills work and focus on our passing,” Dixon said. “Serve receive has been something we struggled with in the past, so our practices have had a lot of that. We have also been doing a lot of game play to smooth out some of the errors.”

 Overall, the team has seen tremendous progress and wants to build on their recent success. With district play becoming more serious, the players want to stay focused on each game.

 “I think the main goal for the season is to have fun and play a game we are proud of,” Dixon said. Of course we would love to keep winning, and my personal goal is to win districts. For now, we are stoked to have won our first districts game and we hope to make that a repeated thing.”