Bright lights, a cheering fan section and a golden ball in their hands. That is where the NDA girl’s volleyball team hopes to end their season two weeks from now, smiling and crying for the first time in school history at the WIAA State tournament held every year at the Resch Center.  

Notre Dame Academy’s girls volleyball team has had a record-breaking season so far, losing just five games this season. They lost only one regular season conference game and swept every other team, leaving them with the Conference Championship title.

The road has not been all highs, however. The team suffered two losses to the same conference rivalry: Manitowoc Lincoln. After losing in five sets last year on their home court, the Tritons hoped to redeem themselves both at an away tournament and away conference match on their home court. Both were losses. This didn’t stop the team, however; in fact, it may have motivated them even more.

Junior captain Corinne Meglic believes “those games will help us in the long run. We learned a lot from those losses, such as how to face adversity in tight situations and how to believe in not only each other but also ourselves, when things aren’t going our way.”

Having such a young team may also account for some of the struggles the team has faced along the way. But what they lack in experience, they make up for in tenacity.

“I have never seen a group of underclassmen so motivated,” senior captain Maureen Schick says. “They come into the gym every day ready to work and ready to get better. They are such a huge part of this team, and the improvements they are making each day are what accounts for our making a big post-season run.”

Their dreams are starting to look more and more like a reality as the post-season play has begun. After receiving a bye for the first round of regionals and being named the #1 seed overall, NDA swept Peshtigo 3-0 in the Regional Semi-final game.

The Region Final game is Saturday, October 25, at 7 p.m. at NDA.

Sophomore Morgan VanDrisse calls playing on Varsity “an amazing experience” and is thrilled “to play with all the talented upperclassmen.”

She has captured their longing for success and says,  “I know we can make it to the Resch with this team.”