Girls varsity volleyball finishes their season with a 12-3 overall record, capping the season off on a 3-0 win vs. Northwest in their last regular season game before playoffs begin. The junior varsity also finished with an 11-2 record ending their season with a 2-0 victory vs. Poolesville.

The varsity team is set to play the winner of Damascus l and Watkins Mill in the regional semi-final game this Friday at home. “I am excited but nervous. Our goal is to go all the way to the state championship and progressively get better each practice,” junior Sofia Sossa.

The team is led by captains senior Naima Cho-Khaliq and senior Emma Li. Cho-Khaliq is playing her third year on the varsity team as an outside hitter, and Li is playing her third year on varsity this season as the team’s libero. “Watching Naima’s playstyle really shows her leadership and how her attitude brings up the morale of the team,” junior Bryan Ngouzo said.

The captains this year have past role models to learn from. Former captain Jessica Chen helped show the captains this year what it was like to be a true leader, and how to bring spirits up in rough times. “Watching Jessica Chen be captain last year set the standards for what I need to be this year,” Cho-Khaliq said.

The team feels confident and relaxed coming into the playoffs. The team is made up of majority returners and all players have won playoffs games before so they know what to expect in playoffs this year. “I feel we’re a very cohesive team and were pretty relaxed, so there’s not going to be that much stress when we’re playing tough teams,” Cho-Khaliq said.

The team also is feeling optimistic about the success they know they can have this playoff season. Even though the team did not qualify for the county championship match this year because of their record not being sufficient, they are still primed to have a successful post season and bring home a trophy.