On Tuesday, Aug. 27 volleyball took the court for the first time this season at Olathe Northwest for multiple matchups in a jamboree. 

The nets in all three Northwest gyms were up, and the wood floors were freshly swept and ready for 12 different volleyball teams from three Olathe high schools. Girls volleyball players filed off of the buses in pink warm-up shirts and made their way to the multiple doors leading into a Northwest hallway that connect each gym. Each match played only two sets. The varsity, JV, c-team and freshman team played two matches against each school attending. This was the teams’ first scrimmage against Olathe South and Olathe Northwest. 

Varsity

Varsity played Olathe South first and West scored 21-12 for their first set and 21-16 for their second set winning their match. Senior Ashley Barcus is a hitter for the varsity team.

“There was a little bit of nerves, but overall I was really excited because I love my team this year,” Barcus said.

The second match was played against Olathe Northwest which hosted the games. West scored 21-12 for their first set and 21-18 for their second set. Varsity won both games in the jamboree showing everyone where we will stand for the rest of the season. 

Junior Varsity

JV played Olathe South first and won both sets with the first being 25-21 and the second 25-22. 

Freshman Sanaa Woodberry played on junior varsity, shocking the audience with her spikes, which were impossible for Olathe South to return.

“I felt pretty good because we are all really close and I know that they will support me,” Woodberry said.

They tied their second match against Northwest with West’s first set being 24-26 and West’s last set ending in a victory with 25-22. 

C Team

C Team has returning players along with freshmen. C Team played Olathe South, losing one of their two sets 15-21 and winning the other 21-14. Freshman Aker Bol contributed to the team’s overall success with her hard training in practices that came before the jamboree.

“It was really fun. I was just a little scared but I love playing with these girls and it was a fun experience,” Bol said.

Next, they played Olathe Northwest, losing one of their two sets 13-21 and coming back from the loss to win the next 21-17. 

Freshman

As other teams in the main gym played their matches first, the freshman team stood on the sidelines watching their competitors and taking part in stretches led by the players. When it was their turn the newcomers played awesome games, winning both sets against Olathe South. The first set ended at 21-15  and the second set ended at 21-7, both in West’s favor. 

Freshman Adler Berendzen had her first scrimmage as an Olathe West volleyball player specializing in defense as the team’s libero.

“I felt good coming in,” Berendzen said. “It was our first time together since we were all freshmen so we didn’t know each other a whole bunch but as the games went on I feel like we got to know each other better.”

The freshman team played Olathe Northwest losing one set 17-21 and losing the other 7-21. Northwest’s freshman team will be a challenge for the freshman team going into the season.

Jamboree games have no impact on the team’s season record. 

Moving forward in the season Coach Hoffsommer has very specific goals for the team to ensure their season runs smoothly.

“We have very specific GPA goals,” Hoffsommer said. “We want 90 percent serving. We have statistical goals, 2.0 or better passing and we really want to focus on building trust this year.”