The Black and White

by Jillian Mastrostefano photos by Emilia Koopman

“One of our goals this year for the varsity team is to make the playoffs and we have a strong group of girls that show up every night to compete and work together,” shares varsity volleyball coach Kelly Harrington. Although at this Thursday night game this team faced a tight loss, the strength and dedication was extremely clear and present on the court. 

Pilgrim’s girls varsity volleyball team had another home game of the season, this time against Westerly High School–whose team was definitely a tough competitor. Starting at the first set, Westerly gained the upper hand with a 13-25 win, which gave Pilgrim nowhere to go but up. Building on this determination, they fought back eventually winning the second set 25-20, raising the stakes to a tie. Continuing on, Pilgrim was unfortunately defeated in the last final sets 12-25 and 16-25. Even with the loss, this game was incredibly well played and will make the team stronger and primed for the next one. 

Throughout all sets, the performance on the court was remarkable by every single player out there. Pilgrim’s volleyball team is well-organized and absolutely drenched with teamwork within every play. This was proven tonight, with numerous dives from senior Alexis Warburton no matter how far the ball was, brave hits by senior Jordania Rivera, and the outstanding serves from junior Avery Marques. All of these aspects together is what makes this team so special. Each and every player was wherever they were needed, each having unique and strong methods to every skill. 

Specific to tonight’s game, and I’m sure many others, was the unbelievable performance at net. The high, near perfect sets by junior Laryssa Farrell, received by junior Shannon Weaver with vast power won this team a majority of the points throughout this match. The most impressive thing seen at net tonight were the stunning blocks by sophomore Amelia Holmes that always seemed too impossible to reach, but with her obvious height she made it look easy. 

The opposing team had honorably incredible serves, but not too incredible for senior varsity captain Avery Donovon, who was just about everywhere on the court in matters of seconds. She too was an impressive setter at net, working with all of her teammates, offering several passes, and I’m sure handing out inspiration on and off the court. 

Another noticeable thing about this team is just how happy playing together makes them, with every point–win or lose–they are seen in a group huddle with smiles on their faces and reassuring mandates. They never loathe a player for missing a point or place blame on one another, they are just happy to be there. 

When asked about being a leader of her team, varsity captain Kayli Sherlock shares, “I get to spread the knowledge I have been obtaining throughout the years I played volleyball onto them and I can see them all working hard and use the information I give them into the game, and I love seeing that and I love us coming together and just us playing.” This was definitely seen at tonight’s game, each player with clear understanding and proficiency sent from their own teammates, captains, and coaches. Each player is such a significant aspect and necessity on the court, all with their own purpose. As Kayli stated, it’s very obvious to see how much they love playing with one another, whether it’s a win or a lose, it’s just about them being together on that court.