Court challenges net team cohesion as Wildcats wrap up volleyball season as one

In volleyball, every move depends on teamwork. From the serve to the set, to the final hit; every point scored is the product of trust, communication, and team chemistry. Mindset defines success, and if the team is down about the score, it could cost them the game. Sophomore Ahna Schlies believes keeping a positive attitude is essential.

“One thing that helps with communication is just keeping good energy and attitude no matter the score. It also helps when people off the court cheer and encourage,” she said.

Senior Sydnee Nelson focuses on the vital importance of each member of the team. 

“Everyone contributes because at practice we need people to be pushing each other and have everyone be able to play every position,” she said. “We really rely on everyone to give full effort. Without having all 15 of us there together, we wouldn’t have people to rely on.”

In any team sport, however, there can still be setbacks. However, the team has managed to work together to overcome these challenges, according to Schlies. 

photo by Lydia Hill 

“I don’t think there has been any big challenges this season,” she said. “The only thing that we struggled with a little bit was connecting with each other on and off the court, and one thing that helped was having everyone talk to every other player even if you’re not super close with them.”

As varsity prepares to go into regionals, Nelson acknowledges the high hopes she and her team had at the beginning of the season as well as how they continued to grow as the season progressed.

“From the beginning of the season we had confidence and high expectations, but we’ve met those expectations,” she said. “We push ourselves everyday during practice but I think that our confidence in each other has really grown.”

Global Academy English teacher and head coach, William Brydon, sees the hard work of the varsity team as they work on exact hitting places, blocking, and more aggressive serves to throw opponents off their game. 

“Our focus is, perhaps counterintuitively, on our side of the net and pushing ourselves to reach our full potential during our post-season run,” he said. “We have five key areas that we work on every single day: our hitting efficiency, our blocking, defending, our serving, our serve receiving, and our mentality, and that will remain the focus during the regional and sectional rounds. We want to get one percent better each day.”

Nelson and the squad needed to plan their attack. 

“We have our first game at home. So, I think it’s just taking one step at a time and we do our heat map so we kind of scout the other teams so we know where they’re going to hit and what to do in given moments is what will really benefit us,” she said. “Just taking it one game at a time will be our best line of defense.”

Brydon is very proud of how hard the team has worked.

“While every team makes the post-season in the WIAA, to earn the #7 in our extremely competitive sectional is a great accomplishment,” he said. “It may not seem like it at first glance, but seven teams in our sectional are ranked inside the top 20 in Div. 1, including us, and the next four are all within the top 36, so we are proud of the team's commitment to working hard and pushing themselves in practices and during regular season competitions to give ourselves the best shot at going as far as possible.”

Schlies will remember the team’s exceptional communication and connection skills. 

“I would say our most memorable moment was at our last tournament together. We finally connected with each other and we played 10 times better than we normally do,” she said. “It made the game more fun.”

As the season wraps up, Brydon hopes the girls go off with memories that last a lifetime. 

“When they think back on this season years from now, I hope the wins and losses won't be the first things that come to their minds; instead, I hope they remember the laughs at team dinners, the pre-game cheers, and hugs shared at our banquets,” he said. “We’re 15 strong and a family. I could not be more proud of this group no matter what results lie ahead for us!”

As Nelson is in her final season of high school volleyball, leaving the team she’s grown with for four years will be difficult. 

“It’s going to be really hard leaving the team because I feel like we’ve built such strong connections,” she said. “I’ve built a really good relationship with all the coaches and all the staff that are part of the team, but I definitely think that the underclassmen and everyone else that’s been on varsity is going to be able to lead the team just the way that the seniors were able to this year.”

by Lydia Hill

Published November 3, 2025

Oshkosh West Index Volume 122 Issue II