The Girls’ Volleyball team hopes to win their first playoff game with another strong team. Senior Captains Chloe Chen and Alina Dao were there last season when they lost to Lexington during the state tournament and are hungry to get back and fight for a better outcome.
So far, the Girls’ Volleyball team has a record of 11-9, qualifying for the state tournament after beating Lynn English 3-2. Head coach Daniel Jurkowski and their two captains all feel confident in their abilities. There are mistakes to clean up before the postseason because they have a tough road ahead.
“I am proud to be a captain of the Girls’ Volleyball team as I can represent one of the best sports communities at Malden High. Throughout the years as a sophomore and junior, I’ve looked up to players and former captains on varsity, and now, I am glad that I can be someone who models for others. I am someone who is always positive on and off the court and will boost my teammates up,” said Senior captain Chloe Chen.
Senior captain Alina Dao dove deeper into what it means for her to be one of the leaders of the team, saying, “Generally, as a captain for anything, you need to have the dedication of leading yourself and the team to success, and it comes in many ways besides winning the game; to bring and keep up the positive energy, prevent problems, and being a guide for hope.” She continued, saying, “Not only that, but you also have to be a figure of trust, so everyone can comfortably rely on you…being a captain is usually based on effort, dedication, and skills, where a person willingly puts others first before themselves.”
“If we want to play better, we should practice more. When my teammates tell me that they did poorly, it is important to remind them that volleyball is a team sport and we could’ve all done something to better support each other on the court,” said Chen. This is the type of mentality Chen believes that MHS students should stand for and support. As a captain, she makes sure to encourage the team but to critique everyone as well, as she feels it is important that everyone is held accountable.
Playing volleyball has its ups and downs, including losing games occasionally. Dao feels that after a loss, she is hit with the, “realization of knowing I could have done better.” Even in wins, the teams knows there’s always something to fix or a play that could’ve been executed better.
Coach Jurkowski had very positive words for both captains, as he said, “they are engaged and excited about volleyball. The team atmosphere this year has been great because of Alina and Chloe, so I think just every day, whether it’s practice or games, the girls have a great attitude. They’re ready to play. And it’s just been a fun atmosphere.” These words from Jurkowski really show how the captains impact the game on and off the court with their presence and the mood they bring to the game and practices.
Going more in-depth about some of the issues, Jurkowski mentioned how it’s been more of a physical issue rather than skill-related. “Not that because their skill level doesn’t allow them to block, it’s just because of the height of our team. Even though the height was a problem, they studied and figured out where they need to cover and where we need to be for the girls who aren’t blocking.”
Coach Jurkowski hopes to win their first game in the tournament and “just improve from there.” Yesterday, the team won their final game of the regular season, sweeping Saugus High School 3-0 and looking to carry that momentum into States.
