On the surface, a team with just two seniors would not seem to be a serious MCAL title contender. But because of an experienced junior class and a deep bench, members of the girls’ volleyball team think they will sustain the continued success of the program.
The two seniors are joined by two freshmen, three sophomores, and nine juniors, four of whom have been on varsity since freshman year.
Junior Nora Wheaton said that having MCAL’s largest team produces a competitive environment.
“Since only six people play, we have a lot bigger bench than usual,” Wheaton said. “It creates competition on the team for spots. It also works for practice because it means that everyone works hard to either take someone else’s spot or to keep their own starting spot.”
Wheaton said the consistent success of the varsity team is a result of the overall depth of the volleyball program.
“The varsity team is really good but we also have a solid foundation for building future teams,” Wheaton said. “Other teams graduate seniors and have to take in a lot of newcomers to the varsity team.”
The program’s strength is exhibited by the fact that the JV team has never lost an MCAL match since its inception over a decade ago.
According to junior Sophie Digrazia, Redwood will battle Branson, Marin Catholic, and Drake for the MCAL title this year.
Junior Sierra Dawson said the team is using last year’s MCAL finals loss to Branson, in which it squandered five match points, as inspiration.
“We’ll have to push harder during those close match points because they can be so important,” Dawson said.
Although Branson will once again test the Redwood squad, rivalry matches against Marin Catholic may be the most intense of the season, according to Lauren Smith.
“The competitiveness that comes out in those rivalry games fuels us and acts as a huge motivation to do better and try even harder,” senior Lauren Smith said.
Although Drake lost a number of seniors, diGrazia said they will once again be a top team in MCAL.
Redwood is currently 1-0 in MCAL after defeating Justin-Siena on Sept. 12. Redwood’s second MCAL match is tonight at the Branson School in Ross at 6 p.m.
