After an impressive 13-1 regular season, the Panthers advanced to the District semifinal and then went on to clinch the District Championship against Chaminade-Madonna last Friday night. This year, the volleyball team’s vigorous training regiment has led them to perform well together and win games. Practices every day with meaningful drills have helped the girls to reach their goals.

Senior Shari Stenglein reflected on this year and what helped the team prepare for the long season. “The constant challenges and tough competition we faced during club season prepared us all for the obstacles during this season. The club season trained us to work hard in times of doubt and struggle and made us tougher players overall,” she said.

On October 18, the team faced Calvary Christian for the District semifinal. Pine Crest defeated the Eagles in four games. Although they lost the first game, the Panthers were able to come back and win three games to one. 

Despite their 14 wins, the Panthers did face adversity in their one loss this season versus Palm Beach Gardens. Though shutout score of three games to zero was certainly discouraging, they bounced back from the loss, returning better than ever and determined to have an even better season.  

Junior team Captain Arielle Ghiloni discussed the hardships the team faced and how they bounced back from that loss, saying, “Suffering our only defeat by Palm Beach Gardens in three sets only by a few points each set, really put us in perspective. This season we have been very diligent in winning our games in three or four sets and keeping our focus and confidence up throughout the entire match.”

This year, the girls’ volleyball team has two seniors and a number of juniors, but the bulk of the roster is made up underclassmen. It has been key for the underclassmen to be able to look up to the juniors, seniors, and team captains as examples and role models. Having a young team helps to develop good relationships within the team and establish bonds between older and younger girls.

All of the girls are motivated by each other, pushing them to perform better on the court and communicate at practice. Also, the team does many match-like drills at practice to help them prepare for situations in the game. They especially enjoy a drill called “exchange,” that they do before every game to stay prepared and motivated before they start.

With the District Championship under their belt, the Panthers will take their 15-1 record and move on to Regionals. Their first matchup is at home against Monsignor Pace on Wednesday, October 25. Pine Crest is currently ranked seventh in the state of Florida.