The Essex High School girls volleyball team is in the midst of its fifth straight undefeated season. Senior captains Hannah Knickerbocker, Emma Orlow, and Reese Gregory have been key contributors throughout the program’s success, playing pivotal roles in four varsity seasons and helping secure three consecutive state championships.
The success of this team is not due to luck. The team’s chemistry on and off the court has been a leading factor in their victories.
“This year is a little bit different than all of our previous years,” Orlow said. “Our team consists of six underclassmen and six upperclassmen, and usually I think that would cause a lot of separation within our team, but this year we are all really connected.”
So far throughout the season, the captains have experienced many memorable moments that demonstrate the strength and determination of the team.
“It was our first time playing BFA [St.Albans],” Knickerbocker said. “It was actually the third set, so starters were playing, and it was the first set we lost all season. Naturally [that] would have been really [demoralizing], but that’s not where our team went. Everyone was picking us up; on the court, on the bench, and the coaches, and in the fourth set we crushed them.”
Even through all of their successes, the team has faced many challenges. How they overcome these roadblocks has made the team stronger.
“I think the biggest challenge so far is trying to push ourselves even when we have a lot of practices, or when our games aren’t necessarily as competitive as most volleyball games would be.” Gregory said. “I think we’ve done a good job overcoming that and figuring out ways for us to raise our own skill.”
Being captains and leaders of the team, these girls have different roles than their teammates.
“I definitely try to lead through example,” Knickerbocker said. “One of my more personal goals this year is when we get down on those points [I] make sure that I show how I am shaking it off and moving on to the next. I think visually, doing that as a captain helps lead other people to not get in their heads, and overall make us do better as a team.”
This team has had a very successful run throughout the entirety of the program. Their inspirations drive them to continue getting better.
“For us, a big inspiration is upholding the expectations we’ve had for this team over the past five years,” Gregory said. “Even before that, we’ve won and consistently been a great team since the program started. When other teams celebrate against us, even for winning a point, we know that’s because we are a great team, and it inspires us to keep pushing ourselves to be even better.”
As the season is nearing the end, these girls have hopes for what the rest of the season will bring, and how they want to be remembered.
“My hopes for the rest of the season are just to grow our intensity as a team,” Orlow said. “To be more aggressive, confident, know what [we] can do and what [we are] capable of, and trust the others on the team to know what they can do as well. I want to be remembered as a team that always picks each other up and works hard for every point.”
