MAIZE, Kan.—
After its second tournament win at the Maize Volleyball Invitational Saturday, the Kapaun Mt. Carmel volleyball team remains undefeated with a record of 14-0. Many players agree that a good team dynamic is what has allowed them to be successful so far this season.“We’ve all played together before and we’re all experienced,” junior Sydney Kuhn said. “We have a lot of volleyball knowledge and when we come together it turns out well on the court.”
In the fourth match of the tournament against Newton High School, Kapaun narrowly avoided defeat but came from behind to win 2-1 to maintain its perfect record.
“Winning the Newton game really gave us the momentum to come in and finish the rest of the tournament,” junior Gabby Torline said.
Coach Terri Hessman said the tournament win would not have been possible without the entire team’s effort.
“Everybody [had] to do their part,” Hessman said. “We only had nine girls with us and everyone had to do their role. Everybody’s got to pull their weight.”
Senior Kate Madsen said she thinks it is important for the team to play in these tournaments. It allows them to gain experience against other teams they will face at state.
“We see competition from all over at these tournaments,” Madsen said. “They might be the best team in their league and taking them on really helps prepare for state.”
Tournament participation also allows for the team to find things they need to continue to work on and improve.
“That’s what is good with a big tournament,” Hessman said. “In the last match the girls and I talked about things we saw during the day and areas we saw that we need to work on in practice.”
After winning city league last year but not performing as well at state, the team has high expectations for the rest of the season, including another city league title.
“[We need] to continue to get better and better and not just be happy where we are now,” Kuhn said.
