Williston’s Girls Varsity Volleyball is still hoping to continue their winning record of 8-3 even after the absence of their head coach, Tyla Taylor.
Taylor, a beloved psychology teacher on Williston’s campus, announced her pregnancy at the beginning of this school year. Despite the exciting news for Taylor, it is truly sad she won’t be able to coach the girls for the rest of their season, especially now with their strong momentum. Still, with the help of coaches Sarah Sullivan and Jonathan Curtis-Resnick, alongside senior captains Annika Song and Hazel Jacobs, the team is hoping to continue to perform at a high level.
Taylor has been coaching Williston Girls Volleyball for many years and truly loves the program, the sport, and the girls. Over the past few years, the team has had a shaky record and has fallen short in terms of making it to the NEPSAC championships. This year, however, things could be different.
Annika, a team captain, told The Willistonian that the season has been “really good” so far. She emphasized that even with Ms. Taylor leaving, the team is “maintaining a good attitude.”
“Out of all the years I’ve been here, I love the team chemistry the most this year,” Annika said. The team this year is as follows: Annika Song, Hazel Jacobs, Mel McCullough, Nina Coffee, Juliana Castelo, Bella Marinello, Ruthie Butler, Sierra Grandonico, Stella Michalski, Blue Meyerson, Isabel Sorkin-Camacho, Mary Choo, Cali Keenan, and Ava Howard.
Annika mentioned that their present success has to do with everyone’s overall effort but also the girls’ hard work during off season time. After playing on club teams, they have become a more competitive group overall. Annika currently plays for the Western Mass volleyball club team.
Despite the team’s skill boost and winning streak, Taylor’s leaving has been hard on the girls. Thursday, Oct 17, was her last practice with them this season.
“We miss her a lot, but at the games, we play for her,” Annika said.
Annika added, “our goal for the rest of the season is to keep up our winning streak and I have a lot of trust in our team to close off the season on a good note.”
Hazel Jacobs noted that the team had a “slow start ” due to losses against class A teams such a Hotchkiss and Deerfield but how they quickly rebounded and didn’t let those losses leave them in a “slump.”
Instead, the team started to “push themselves more” once they realized “how great [they] can be,” Hazel said.
Hazel and the team “are definitely missing Taylor” but appreciate the dedication that Sullivan and Curtis-Resnick are bringing to the table.
Hazel emphasizes that the teams intentions are to go to playoffs and their current record of 8-3 helps the likelihood of achieving that goal. Their pink out game against Suffield on Oct 25 will determine whether they make it or not, thus, and as Hazel says, the team is putting “all [their] eggs in one basket” during this game.
Sullivan emphasized that the team’s currents success has been due to “their dedication to show up everyday and play at a very high and intense level.”
“We also hold each other accountable for our actions such as attitude and what we can control,” she added.
Sullivan says that the girls “set the standard for each other” which “correlates into games.”
“Taylor leaving is a massive adjustment for the team” but “her leadership skills have already provided a strong foundation and we are just working off that to improve every single day.”
This new team dynamic that has put the group in a position to make playoffs and Sullivan is “confident” that they will do so.
