Showing a strong improvement from the previous season, the girls’ volleyball team, under the direction of head coach Thomas Ching, concluded with a 10-10 record this year, a major bounce back from their disappointing 4-12 record last year.

Players told the Falcon they were happy with the improvement, but felt they didn’t reach their potential. 

“I think our energy wasn’t good and we weren’t actively trying to win or hyping each other up, so there wasn’t a team effort,” sophomore middle blocker Shreya Raghuvanshi said.

Unlike other years, the team had four captains — seniors Maaheen Khericha, Lisa Fung, Noor Khan and Anika Koganti — as opposed to the usual two due to the influx of seniors nominating themselves for the position. Fung, who was injured for the majority of the season but came to every practice and game to cheer the team on, earned the respect of her teammates because of the energy she brought off the court. Some consistent star players were Koganti, Khericha and junior Ariel Zhou. 

However, some team members expressed concerns about the future of the program. Seven of the 12 varsity players will be graduating this year, leading to uncertainties about the team’s playing and dynamic with only five returning players and many new incoming players. 

 The loss of experienced players next year will present a heavy challenge, and the two juniors — Aarkoti and Zhou — along with the three sophomores on the team — Raghuvanshi, Emmy Pak and Daria Cirlig — will have to play larger roles on the team.

“Our future varsity team will still continue to grow and always reach out to our upperclassmen,” Pak said. “The idea of them graduating is a bit bittersweet but we’ll take what they’ve taught us and help continue their legacy.”