On November eighth the Lakeview Volleyball team had their end of the season banquet. The event took place at DiLucia’s. The girls enjoyed delicious food while discussing their accomplishments throughout the season. Friends and family joined, making it a great night! The volleyball coaches Heather Guthrie and Heidi Kalafat took the time to deliver their speeches and thank those who support the strong program. Every year the girls and coaches work hard to live up to the high standard of Lakeview Volleyball, and improve from years before.
I asked Freshmen Anna Haynie: What was the biggest difference between middle school volleyball and the transition to high school volleyball? Haynie responded, “There is definitely a lot more conditioning in high school! The intensity of the competition has increased, too. We do a lot more team bonding than we did in middle school, and while high school volleyball was a big change from middle school volleyball, at the end of the day it’s still the same sport. I love it more now than I ever did in middle school.”
This year the Bulldogs managed to maintain a record of 12-0 within the NE8, guaranteeing them the title of Back to Back Conference Champions. Overall the team was 20-5, with a loss in the third round of the tournament. This was a main topic of discussion at the banquet, and the volleyball team hopes to surpass this next year. Something everyone should know is that the team overcame many obstacles. Last year, five impressive starting seniors graduated. As a result, many people earned their first year letter for stepping up and making an impact! There were also a few second and third year letter winners along with this.
I asked upcoming Senior Molly Stuart: What is a goal you have for our team next year? Stuart expressed, “I want us to win our conference again, and also win a district championship. For a lot of us it is our senior year, so I am hoping for a fun season.”
Many deemed the team as an “underdog” this year, but it was evident the team did not let this get to them. They proved people wrong and had a successful season and banquet.
A part of the banquet is recognizing players for their achievements. For instance, multiple records were broken leaving behind challenges for upcoming players. On top of this, Mallory Mailach and Reagan Price earned 1st Team All District, Molly Stuart earned 2nd Team All District, and Addison Allen earned Honorable Mention.
It does not end here though! Mailach and Price earned 1st Team All Conference, and Molly Stuart and Hallie Capan earned 2nd Team All Conference! To wrap up the season, Mailach was named YSN setter of the year and Price was named Second Team All-Ohio.
All of these accomplishments were addressed at the banquet along with the hard work and dedication of others. Lakeview Volleyball focuses on we>me!
Junior Kennedy Bartlett told me her favorite memory from this year was, “Making a comeback and beating our rival Girard on our home court.”
The girls pulled off many exciting wins, including this one, and continued to show the strong presence of Lakeview Volleyball to the community and more.
The Bulldog’s banquet was a little unique this year, though. If you did not already know, the Lakeview Volleyball team did not have any seniors this year. This made for a different type of season. There was no senior night, or any seniors to say goodbye to at the banquet. Instead, there is a rising class of eight seniors for next year!
Since the team did not have any seniors to recognize for their effect on the program, the team found new ways to celebrate their memories together. Awards were picked by the coaches and handed out for stuff like important leadership, overall improvement, and hard-work. The players also mixed it up a little by doing team superlatives. This was a new idea they had never done before. Every teammate filled out a paper with questions like “most likely to”, and the girls received their description at the banquet!
This was not the only fun part about the banquet! Every year the girls get excited to dress up nice and have a good time together. Outside of volleyball the team does bonding exercises and hangs out often, but a formal event is always nice to bring everyone together for an important night.
After the banquet is over everyone takes pictures together to capture the moment! Being on a team is a privilege, and four years ago by fast. The girls do their best to live in the moment and have fun as a group. Coach Guthrie and Coach Heidi did an amazing job this season, and ended it with a memorable banquet for everyone!
Come out and support the Lakeview Girl’s Volleyball team next season!
