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Abby Bartleson

Sophomore Huston Samoy gets ready to spike the ball Sept. 15. Samoy plays opposite hitter.

In a matchup Sept. 15, Park suffered a 3-0 loss against rival Benilde St. Margaret’s. Junior captain Addison Chenvert said going into the game she was excited to go out and show that their hard work had paid off.

“I was a bit nervous but also super excited. They are our rivals and we really wanted to beat them,” Chenvert said. “It was important for us to go out there and show them who we are.”

After a tough game, sophomore Alex Hoag said she took time to reflect on what she could’ve done better individually as well as for the team. 

“I struggled a little bit tonight with serve-receive,” Hoag said. “As well as not diving as much when I don’t need to (and) just moving my feet to the ball.”

Head coach Sam Hanlon said she thinks the team’s mindset is a big factor in being successful during a game, predominantly because of how young the team is. 

“We’re still a really young team so they need to have more confidence in themselves, that’s the biggest thing,” Hanlon said. “If the girls know in their minds that they can do it, we’ll be unstoppable.”

For Chenvert, this game was a good learning opportunity. Implementing new strategies and perfecting plays is something she will be striving for in upcoming games.

“Anticipating where the ball is going instead of just waiting to see it and deciding a play after is something to work on,” Chenvert said. “I need to read the body of the person hitting it and already expect where it’s going.”

According to Hoag, being with the team before games helps them connect so they can achieve their goals and mentally prepare her for the game. 

“We hype each other up by listening to music in the locker room as a team,” Hoag said. “We also do team bonding and set goals which is really helpful to prepare.”

Hanlon said she believes that despite Park’s loss, the team is optimistic for future games.

“We knew Benilde was going to be a tough team. They always are. They’re getting better every year and today’s game showed we’re right there with them,” Hanlon said. “We just have to work a little harder and we’ll be winning these games instead.”

Park is set to play Waconia next at 7:00 p.m. Sept. 21 at Waconia High School.