On Aug. 24, at the Fort Scott Tournament, the Allen Community College women’s volleyball team won against Labette Community College in three matches. It was the beginning of a turnaround from last year in which the girls hope to keep the ball rolling.

The volleyball team consists of ten freshman and four sophomores, three of which are returning team members, and they are all excited to see what the rest of the season has in store.

“We definitely have better chemistry this year,” sophomore Emily Fritz said. “Everyone tends to get along really well and I see this year’s team as family!”

The chemistry of a team has a big impact on the way it performs throughout the year. The ability to communicate in an intense game is an important skill for many players.

“Although we come from different places, we accept our differences and have learned to love each other as teammates,” said sophomore Holly Shinn. “We are also all brought into the same goal, to change the name that Allen volleyball has been given over the years.”

The three returning sophomores have grown a bond throughout their two years at Allen; Fritz, Miranda Golden and Shinn have all taken the role of leaders this year.

“I think the major difference in this year compared to last year is that all the girls have the same goal in mind and are working together to achieve it,” head coach Whitney Shaw said. “The girls this year work really hard every day!”

Although not all of their games end in a win, the matches have been close this year and the ladies continue to put up a hard fight.

“This year feels so much different because we all work so well together, and because we all have such a good support system,” says Golden.

The student section for this year mainly consists of women’s and men’s basketball teams, the track and cross country squads, baseball and softball players, other Allen students, and of course, Superfan Steve Uitts.

“The student section definitely helps the girls, said Shaw. “They help give us energy to keep pushing on the court and make the environment a great one to play and coach in!”

The next home game is tonight against Ottawa University junior varsity. The theme is “Jersey Night.” Theme days can be found on  the Allen Volleyball Twitter account. All of the Lady Devils would love to see everyone’s support for this game and every other home game, especially against our Neosho Community College rivals.

“The student section helps us so much with everyone yelling and hyping us up, and we would really love everyone at Neosho on Oct. 2 being as loud as possible,” said Golden. “They’re our closest opponent to home so a win against them is always a main focus on our season.”