After a 7-29 season last year, head varsity volleyball coach Korrine Bowers looks forward to seeing her team make a new name for themselves this 2019 season.

“Last year was my first year with Westside,” Bowers said. “I came into a culture that wasn’t really disciplined. [One] that didn’t know a whole lot about volleyball. It was like coming in to teach 101 volleyball. We had very athletic kids but their fundamentals weren’t up to par.” 

Although last year didn’t go to plan, Bowers feels her team is more prepared and qualified compared this time around.

“I really think the girls learned a lot last year,” Bowers said. “We didn’t have the best season but you could tell that there was progress from the beginning to the end.  I think the girls really noticed that and they wanted more of that. So, they worked really hard in the offseason.”

Because volleyball is a fall sport, a lot of the work in the offseason comes during the summer. Bowers made sure to included pre-season training and camps to help prepare her team.

“We always hold our team camp in May,” Bowers said. “We [held] positional training and weight/strength training. We [also] invited [the] varsity team and went to the UNO team camp this summer.”

With a new change in team fundamentals and tactics, senior middle blocker Izzy Nahayo now sees her fellow teammates as more than just players on the court.

“We all get along just like a little family in our volleyball team,” Nahayo said.

After witnessing the development of the team last year, Bowers feels good about this season and their first game against Bennington.

“We have our jamboree this Thursday against Bennington,” Bowers said. “We kinda got a sneak-peek of them at UNO team camp. I think it’s gonna go good. By seeing your team go from the bottom of the pack to finally winning against teams you lost to at the beginning of the year, it makes you thrive, it makes you hungry to win. And I think the girls are hungry for it this year.”

The varsity volleyball team will hold its jamboree match against Bennington on Thursday, August 21 at Westside.