At the beginning of the season’s second half, girls volleyball stood at a disappointing 3-7 record.

Having played ten games so far, the CRLS girls volleyball team had a record of 3-7, which is not what they hoped for at the start of the season. Player Mia Benzan ’24 shares with the Register Forum the team’s goals of making it to the state tournaments. Mathematically speaking, the odds stand at less than 1.8%. Still, this was an improvement from last season’s harrowing 0-10 record.

The team is inexperienced with little returning talent, and has a young setting corps. They will also lose senior captains Reina Stevens and Libero Hirani Hiruy after this season. However, it is much more productive to talk about a team with a bright future, than one with a dark present.

Benzan, part of the team’s bright future, told the Register Forum, “I think I have made a big improvement as a setter. I learned a lot of helpful things, and I hope I will have the opportunity to play and show what I have learned.” Since starting setter Janae Santos ’22 stepped out due to injury, Benzan has quietly become one of the premier backup setters in the Dual County League with promise to do the same as a starter next season. In her debut as a starter in a loss against Wayland, she recorded an astounding 22 assists in a game that needed all five sets to be decided. She has racked up a just as impressive 67 total assists this season. Head Coach Kelley Leary told the Register Forum that she is “impressed by the leadership that Mia [Benzan] has shown.”

Freshman Setter Samantha Rosenberg should play a large role in future seasons as well. Her playing time is not very indicative of what is to come, but it is obvious that she could become a truly lethal weapon in the Falcons’ arsenal. In a late appearance against an obliterated Boston Latin Academy side, she put her ability on display. Her setting style is quick and difficult for defenses to track (as proven by the nine assists accumulated in her late 3rd set appearance). Rosenberg told the Register Forum, “It’s a shame it’s so late in the season. Even if we can’t win States it’s important to have fun and keep a good spirit alive.” With an attitude and a play style like that, Rosenberg shows immense promise.

With so much potential, such as setters and hitters Ellen Davis ’23, Vivien Little ’24, and Sofia Klumb ’23, this team stands with nothing to lose, and everything to gain. They also stare down a Dual County League (DCL) that will see catastrophic graduation this offseason. “They are improving daily,” Coach Leary told the RF. “I would like to see them improve their Volleyball IQ. It’s very much the quote, give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, teach him to fish and he will be fed forever,” she continued. “I think expectations should be kept high with the knowledge that there is a process to achieve them. The real importance is the process because that’s where real growth happens!”

Only time will tell what’s in store for the team. But the present has already spoken volumes, all of it positive.

This piece also appears in our October 2021 print edition.