Ranked #20 in the state by OSAA, La Salle’s varsity volleyball team is in “a developing year, but we are getting a lot better over the season,” team captain, junior Abby Maulding said. 

Though the team consists of varying grades, with three freshmen, one sophomore, eight juniors, and three seniors, they have been able to bond and connect through different team bonding activities and by spending time together on the court. 

“Even though there’s not a lot of seniors, I think all of the different grades are getting along together,” senior Emily Martin said. “I think we just have really good chemistry.”

So far, they have played teams such as Wilsonville, Rex Putnam, Hillsboro, Canby, and Parkrose, achieving a league record of 9-6 and overall record of 9-16. 

Out of all of the games played so far, Maulding says that the best one was against Canby. Though the game ended in a 3-2 loss, she felt that it was the best the team has played together. 

“That was some of the best volleyball I’ve seen some of our players perform throughout their entire volleyball experience,” she said. “I think some of our players kind of realized how much potential they had when they were playing that game, and it just kind of clicked something in them.”

They have also played at weekend tournaments against teams from different leagues, which allows them to experience playing with different teams, and it allows them to realize that, “if we can win a set off a 6A team, we can easily beat any of the teams in our leagues,” Maulding said.  

These tournaments are also a place where the team is able to bond even more and build chemistry on and off the court.

This year, the team is really focusing on consistency during their practices, making sure to continuously practice passing and hitting. “We are doing a lot of work and practice to be more consistent and really work on our technique,” freshman Taimane Sulages said. 

They are also trying to focus on “the small wins,” Sulages said, making sure to celebrate each small point that contributes to those big wins. 

As team captain, Maulding’s goal for the team is for each player to realize their potential because she sees so much of it in the team. She knows that her teammates have so much to offer and once they unlock that, it would level up their play. 

To work toward these goals, the team has been working hard through the help of their coaches who keep the team in check and remind them of ways they can improve to make them better. 

“I think all of us know where we need to be going, and most of us will be trying our hardest to get there,” Maulding said. 

For their next game, the Falcons will take on Santiam Christian this Thursday at home starting at 6 p.m.