Girls’ Varsity Volleyball is off to a great start so far this season. With two consecutive New England champion titles in 2012 and 2013 and a 15-1 record in 2014, the team has set a demanding precedent. However, with the hard work and lead of respected Coach David Loeb, this team of winners is determined to continue its momentum into the wood-floored depths of the 2015 season.
So far, the team is up to it’s usual standard of excellence. To commence the season, on Thursday, September 24th, the team defeated Miss Porter’s School three sets to zero.
On this past Saturday, September 26th, the team defeated Pomfret School 3-0, and Sacred Heart Academy 3-2. Coach Loeb has been known to dominate; his team is always in close running for the New England Championship.
The match against Pomfret was a good demonstration of the teams cohesive effort. Riding off of the energy of a rowdy Boar Pen crowd, Choate dominated the court, taking the first set 25-11 and setting the tone for the long day ahead. The second set embarked with Pomfret leading, but Choate finished the set off with a win of 25-23. The last set concluded with a win of 25-12. Overall, the girls won 3-0.
However, their next game was a far closer match at three sets to two in favor of Choate, with the Wild Boars depleted from a lack of fans and a game already under their belt.
Martha Zhang ’16 told The Choate News, “Coach Loeb is trying to build depth in the team. We are all trying to build on our skills and harness them as a team in each match. Additionally, we haven’t had as many returners as in previous years (many players graduated) so we have added several hardworking players from the junior varsity program.”
She attributed the teams’ victory to the hard work they have been putting in for the past few weeks. She also stated that “because Pomfret was not as competitive of a team, we had the opportunity to put in all of our players. These not-so-competitive games will help everyone gain the experience and playtime for when the games do become more competitive towards the end of the season.”
The players also were able to gain some experience during the first two scrimmages, the first of which was a “play day” (in which many different teams meet up and play), at Darien High School on September 5, and the second at Cheshire High School on September 9.
Following a home match against the Hopkins School on the 30th of September, the girls will start their away agenda on Saturday October 3, at Phillips Exeter Academy, to whom they were defeated in last year’s New England Championship game; but road competition has proved to be no crutch for these girls.
This team’s best assets come in the form of Captain Anna Hackett ’16 and Coach Loeb. Hackett has been in the New England Championship game for each of her first three years at Choate, under the prudent coaching of Loeb.
For this squad, wins are nice, but they will not rest until the New England Championship banner graces the walls of the Winter X for the third time in the past four years.
