William Luo
Sep 22, 2026
The Blue Storm girls varsity volleyball team competed against Holton-Arms School last Saturday in what became a five-set match. After much battle in the fifth set, the Blue Storm won 3-2.
Head coach Will Hill said he was extremely proud of the team. “The team performed great. We battled back from adversity and ended up on top,” Hill said. “We were down in the game during the second and third sets, but everyone showed how important it is to never give up.”
Spectators saw the same resilience. “The game wasn’t won by just one person. I really think everyone did an amazing job staying together and not letting Holton pull away after they won back-to-back sets putting them up,” Kellen Greene ‘28 said.
Player Clare Mohr ‘29 felt the unified effort. “The team could have done better communicating and just being able to end runs, but I thought we did a great job of pushing through the long and hard five sets,” she said. On a personal level, she felt her play improved as the game continued. “I think I played pretty well in the third to fifth sets, but in the first two I was not as satisfied. However, I was very happy with my serving throughout the game.”
The match had no shortage of standout moments. “We had girls diving for balls, helping each other,” Hill said. Mohr pointed to one player in particular. “I was very impressed by the play where Ella Daniels ‘30 somehow got the ball over the net with one hand to the opposite end line,” she said. Hill also commended the backrow defense. “McKenna Koch ‘28 had amazing defense on the back line, along with Ella and Sofia Monroy ‘28 trailing shanked passes and making plays from them.”
Players credited many teammates who have shifted positions on the court. Clare highlighted Lena Wilke ‘27. “For a very recent change, I thought she did a great job tooling their block and finding spots for kills,” she said. Sofia pointed out McKenna’s versatility. “She has been playing every position under the sun and has always been putting in one-hundred and ten percent effort,” Monroy said.
Mohr herself drew much praise from the stands. “She was super good, and you could tell the power she brought to the court,” Thanasi Akaras ‘28 commented.
Hill is optimistic and excited for the rest of the season. “I feel really good about this team. I feel we’re stronger than last year and the girls have done a great job of coming together,” he said. “They’re close with each other both on and off the court, and that proves their support for one another.”
Hill hopes the team will maintain camaraderie and grit throughout the season. “The main goal that I want for the girls is to always keep fighting, to never give up,” he said. Hill kept his advice short and sweet: “Never give up; not only fight for yourself, but fight for your team.”