With 33 athletes on the roster, the volleyball program needed to reinvent itself this winter. Space was limited, experience varied, and interscholastic competition didn’t exist. Coaches Brittany Ryan, Anderson Santos, Jen James, and Nathalie Pellenq embraced the challenges and found solutions. The result was a competitive four-team intramural schedule, which utilized multiple athletics blocks two days a week to fit games in. The program focused on whole-group instruction and skill building on Monday and Tuesday and then pivoted to competitive play on Wednesday and Thursday. The consistent structure and natural flow to the week brought out the best in the athletes, allowing each and every player to improve their skills over the course of the season. Team captains Aria Goodpaster, Natalie Jean, Alden Largay, and Kamila Ruiz were instrumental to the success of the program and shined on and off the court this winter. This group of volleyball veterans helped foster a true sense of belonging on each of their respective squads and made every player feel valued and appreciated on the court. In addition to the eighth grade leadership, the program also received solid contributions from Aleta Sandoski, Sophie Jean, Grace Sullivan, and Owen Huang. Coaches noted the consistent effort, steady performance, and marked improvement of this group of athletes who were all reliable contributors to their respective squads. The program will wrap up its season next week with a two-hour, double-elimination tournament in the Downing Gym. Come check out the action!
- Both of the JV basketball teams rolled to easy victories this week, improving their records to 5-2 (boys) and 7-0 (girls) respectively. Coaches highlighted the play of Foster Larabee, Yaseen Saeed, Laurice Bandar, and Samantha Cuming.
- The boys’ varsity basketball team pulled out a dramatic 2-point overtime win against Carroll this week. Brendan Bandar was huge on the defensive end while Andrew Green and Rami Flummerfelt carried the load offensively.
- Sara Colangelo and Cassie Greiner stepped up offensively for the girls’ varsity basketball team this week during their 15-point win against Carroll. Both girls had the hot hand from the outside and buried jump shot after jump shot against the zone.
- The wrestling team squared off in a tri-meet against Fenn (W 15-11) and Fay (T 6-6) this week. Low on numbers due to injury, the team once again turned to Jun Murakami, Quinn Clark, and Caleb Frehywot to set the tone and score points.
- The PEAK and IMBB teams will wrap up their seasons next week. Zazoue Marsan and Maraki Shiferaw continue to challenge themselves in PEAK while Sohan Shah and Jack Ward are starting to contribute during IMBB games.
- The fencing team defeated ISB 19-8 this week. Julia Popa performed great in a pair of tight contests. Josie Stevenson won two bouts. Carter Bradshaw went undefeated. Emmett Mack and Hughy Marsan won a pair of bouts each.
