Gathered in the video room to watch film prior to practice on a recent Tuesday, one could have assumed, by the way they cheered each other on, high-fived, and shouted, that Williston’s varsity volleyball team was watching their highlight reel.
But Coach Tyla Taylor was actually playing, on a loop, a series of errors from that Saturday’s (Sept. 26) 3-0 loss against Berkshire. To the Wildcats, it almost didn’t matter.
“Our bench is super loud,” said Cali Keenan ’27, a co-captain with fellow senior Mary Choo. “I love it.”
After a video showing a strong serve by Keenan, which earned a round of cheers, Coach Taylor, in her sixth year with the program, froze the screen on a point later in the play in which a lack of communication between sophomore Rachel Xing and senior Kayleigh Mazuroski led to a flubbed return.
“A big hole opened up in our defense,” Taylor said. The girls nodded. Taylor smiled, extending her arms, including the whole team. “We all do this.” Xing and Mazuroski nodded. “We’re going to practice this a lot today.”
The next play included a Xing spike, which led to applause. Taylor then called attention to eighth grader Wynne Fitzgerald’s birthday – “We’ll have treats after lift” she said, smiling. Then she skipped the video to another error, often repeating “we all do this.”
She spoke from experience: Taylor played volleyball at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, and before that was on a Connecticut-based team that traveled all over the U.S. With each clip she showed, Taylor reassured the team that their mistakes were not uncommon. But she was also clear that they would be addressed when they hit the court later.
This film session encapsulated so many elements of what makes the volleyball team such a cohesive unit: their relentless positivity, their resilience, their dedication to the particular skills inherent to the fast-paced, physical sport, and a commitment to continuously improve, every day.
Williston’s volleyball program was started in 2003, and the current Wildcats are led by Taylor and assistant coaches Ken Choo and Eliza Grose. The team plays fellow Class B programs including Pomfret, Suffield, and Wilbraham and Monson, and Class A squads like Deerfield and Hotchkiss.
Along with the 12 girls who make up the Varsity roster, there is also a JV team coached by Kirsten Blaesing and Kate Gartrell, and a thirds team coached by Jade Morris and Kelli Willis.
Even more of the team’s DNA can be seen in talking to its newest members, juniors Kaylee Counter and Juliana Eichenlaub. In the bleachers watching the JV squad practice, Counter pointed out how inviting the group has been to her and her fellow newcomer.
“As a varsity sport, I thought people might not be as welcoming because we’re not up to their level, but we’ve improved every day because we have our teammates to support us,” Counter, who plays right side, said. She mentioned the non-stop music that plays during practice, and the cheers they do for every play, not just on gamedays. “We have fun but also take it seriously.”
Coach Taylor agrees. Though they graduated nine seniors, “our team has shown a real desire to be coached, which is exciting,” Taylor said. “They want to improve, they want to receive feedback, and they show a willingness to adapt and try new things. This season I’m really focused on building their volleyball IQs. I want them to be able to better read the game and make even better decisions on the court.”
That sense of commitment is a core value of the program.
“We pride ourselves on players getting better within the program,” Taylor explained. “It’s very common to start on thirds or JV, continue to put in the work, and to one day make the varsity team. I think that gives younger players a lot of hope and more seasoned players the ability to be role models, knowing the path it took to get to varsity.”
Eichenlaub, who participated in the fall fitness program last year with Counter, has loved her time on the team so far. Noting how each play incorporates every athlete on the court, unlike softball, which she plays in the spring, Eichenlaub, who as a plays defensive specialist, said, “Here, everybody feeds off everyone.”
Along with the physical demands of the sport, coaches Taylor and Choo know how mentally taxing volleyball can be; to that end, they incorporate elements into the team’s routine, like Mindful Mondays, to help the players stay strong in all ways.
“We talk about goals, how to be a better teammate, what to say to yourself mentally when things go wrong,” Eichenlaub explained, noting this is a feature of the team that differs from other sports, and one she is drawn to.
Junior Lila Parsons said no matter the day she had at school, practice, whatever it entails, is always a bright spot.
“Even if we do pushups or drills, we still have fun,” Parsons said.
Xing, a row in front of Parsons, enthusiastically nodded. “Bro, same, literally!” she said. “If I have five tests, I’m still, like, ‘Oh my god, I have volleyball!”
And while every day is exciting, and the energy is consistently high, there’s more than just music and cheering driving the team.
“I can see us improve so much every day, after every practice,” said Xing.