The girls’ volleyball team has some ground to regain this year after being bumped down from the De Anza league to the the less competitive El Camino league.

This year will serve as a rebuilding year for the team as they welcome six new players to varsity. With only one senior, outside hitter Talia Sisco, the players compose a younger varsity team than in years past.

The Falcons used their five preseason games to get a feel for working together and getting back in the swing of things and ended with a preseason record of 1-4.

“Our playing has definitely improved from the first preseason game to the last,” sophomore Jennifer Ho said. “I feel like each game we are improving and since we played A league teams, it was great practice for us.”

Ho is a back row defense specialist and will also be filling in as the setter throughout the season when setter Katelyn McKay is unable to play.

While the team works well together, there are always areas that need improvement. One area that stands out is team morale on the court after losing a few rallies.

“The team definitely needs to work on maintaining a positive attitude during the entire game and not letting a mistake get to us,” Ho said. “We need to cheer each other up after a mistake and move on to the next play.”

Outside hitter Julia Lee, sophomore, also sees the problem and acknowledges that it may be an obstacle for the team.

“When we’re not fired up, don’t keep up the energy, or become frustrated with ourselves or each other, we fall apart,” Lee said.

The team will work on improving morale during practice and games, and even on their own time. The girls have already done some bonding at a team sleepover and plan on having team lunches throughout the season.

Injuries early on in the season have also caused a slight hindrance. Setter Katelyn McKay is recovering from a back injury she received after diving after a ball in the bleachers. The injury has her temporarily benched and is forcing secondary setter Ho to step in.

Preseason games came to a close with an upsetting loss to Castilleja on Sept. 15 with final scores of 25-13, 25-10 and 25-10, but the team is ready and excited to play league. According to the team, the strongest competitors this season will be Valley Christian and Lynbrook.

“I am looking forward to the rest of the season because with more practice our team could have the potential to be great in our league,” Ho said.