The Notre Dame volleyball team prepares for the season on and off the court.

“As a team we try to spend as much time together off the court as we can and always make sure we say ‘hi’ to each other in the hallways at school,” said Ellie Rose.

It is important for the girls to be well bonded because of the multiple hours spent together and because it allows them to work better as a team.

Every year the team bonds over team dinners, practices and over-night tournaments.

Through all their time together the team has formed long lasting friendships they anticipate will last them a lifetime.

To prepare for the season the girls start with weekly open gyms that run twice a week beginning in June. There are a few league days when they travel to different high schools and play other teams in their conference.

This helps them build more team chemistry and gives them an outlook on how the other teams will pay during the year.

Individually some play club during the off season while others take lessons or practice on their own. Individually the girls also have to prepare themselves for tryouts and get in shape for the season.

The regular season begins in mid August and goes through the end of October but can last until November depending on when tournament play ends. Conference season ends October eleventh with regionals following the next week. In conference the team is currently 1-4.

“The hardest part of the season is managing time for school, volleyball and a social life,” said Katherine Walch.

The team’s strength is bringing energy to every game and tournament they play in.

One of their weaknesses is being too hard on themselves or getting to into their heads. This is worked on during practices and games.

The team is led by Ben Wolf, who has been coaching here for several years. The assistant coach is Denise Kapalko who has been involved with Triton volleyball for many years, as her daughter played for the team years ago.

“As of yesterday coach says he believes we can make it back to the Resch Center,” said Maddie Jaloszynski.