The LHS Varsity volleyball team has lofty goals for the season, aiming to make it to the state playoffs. After a tough start to the season, the team is making a comeback and playing better than ever.
Their next game is set to be against Oregon City High School on Oct. 22 at home.
The LHS team is ranked 16 in the OSAA rankings and the Pioneer team is ranked second in the 6A league. The team has a 16-6 record, proving to be a tough opponent for the Pacer team.
Monica Holder, a senior on the team, has high hopes for the season.
“I want to get as far as we can in the state playoffs,” said Holder. “I want to make this the best season yet.”
Last year, the team got to the first round of playoffs before losing 3-0 to Sherwood High School. This year, it seems the team is setting their sights higher.
This season hasn’t come without its fair share of challenges, however. This past year, the team’s coaching staff was changed.
“A large challenge this year was how we had a shift in coaching staff,” said senior Sophie Winston. “With trial and error the team has been able to adapt to the change.”
The head coach, Kami Vermillion, isn’t new to the team, having coached the LHS volleyball team as an assistant for the past few years. However, this year she is joined by two new assistant coaches Michelle Hoover and Sharis Coleman.
The team had a bit of a rough start to the season.
“We struggled in the beginning of league play,” said Holder. “We lost to some teams we very much could have beat.”
Eventually, the team found their footing and is doing better.
“After some tough practices and conversations… we started playing to a level we didn’t know we could,” said Holder. “We… kicked off a great start to the second half of league play.”