August 29. A date that will be remembered far into the future by East Meck volleyball players. On that day, the team made history by taking two out of five sets from Butler.

“Even though we lost, we had never taken a set from Butler in volleyball history,” coach Erin Kayton said. “We took two sets from them. We’ve never even taken one set from them.”

With many seniors on the varsity team this year, the Lady Eagles have been taking wins left and right from teams such as Independence and North Meck.

“When you have seven seniors, they want to do it for each other because they know that it’s their last year,” Kayton said.

Even though the team is made up of mostly the same people as last season, their motivation to win has been at an all-time high.

“I feel like we have meshed a lot better this year” Kayton said. “Overall they have really grown as a team, not only skill-wise but as individuals.”

The team’s bond is extremely strong. Many of the seniors have been on the same team together since middle school.

“I wouldn’t want to play with anyone else because we all have this relationship with each other that is so strong,” senior Emely Barahona said. “They are family to me.”

From each game to the next, the team has had the chance to learn and grow from mistakes in order to perform better in the games to come.

“In practice we will work on specific things that we noticed were not as good as they could be,” senior Mia Buchsbaum said.

Along with this, it is important for the team to practice basic skills involved in playing volleyball to keep their skill level up.

“We work on the fundamentals like passing, because that’s the main thing, and communication,” sophomore Lydia Cunning said.

The team also works on things such as sprinting, serves and lots of drills involving foot movement.

For a lot of players, practices are not only about working hard, but they are also about having fun and seeing their friends. Being able to enjoy their practices and be close with their teammates is part of what makes the team so successful.

With a 13-8 overall record, the team has done very well this season and is third in the went to first round playoffs on Wednesday, October 26 against Mount Tabor High School.

“Wanting to win games for each other has inspired me to keep on playing,” Barahona said. “I wouldn’t want to be on any other team.”