Bump. Set. Spike. If you’ve been to a Galena volleyball game, then you hear this sound a lot. The JV Volleyball team is off to a great start. The team is currently undefeated in conference, with a record of 6-0. However, the team is 12-3 overall. Their 3 losses come from a tournament, but it doesn’t count for conference. Although they don’t have a perfect record, they are still on the right track. Coach Soat says, “Our biggest challenge this year is getting the team to play at their full potential 100% of the time.” Coach Soat set a goal for the team and that’s to win the rest of their tournaments and win conference.

The team has been playing together for a long time, and Samantha Stoffregen thinks they could use that to their advantage. Samantha Stoffregen commented, “I think playing together for a long time will help with our success because we know each other so well and are able to work together so well. This is a huge factor in volleyball.”

Balancing school and sports is tough, especially when you have games three times a week and practice every other day. Samantha Stoffregen plays both Varsity and JV, so sometimes, getting all her homework done can be tough. “I try to stay ahead of my homework, and I do this by staying organized. I use my study hall wisely and try to get most of my homework done then. I try my hardest to use my time wisely,” said Samantha.

Leadership also plays a big role in volleyball. Being a team captain is a big responsibility, requires a lot of effort and is important to a team’s success. Making sure everyone on the team is trying their best and working their hardest is also very important to be successful in volleyball, and it is the team captain’s job to make sure that happens. Sawyer Quick is one of the team captains for the JV Volleyball team. “I communicate well with all my teammates on and off the court. I encourage all my teammates 100% of the time and count on them to give their best effort in both practice and games,”  she said.