In the unpredictable world of sports, a team can flip from last to first in a heartbeat. Paly Girls Volleyball struggled prior to this year, placing last in the SCVAL league in the 2022-23 season with an overall record of 17-15. The loss of six key players (including four starters) coming into this season was another major setback.

Varsity coach Chris Crader noted that winning a league title was not the predicted outcome.

“It was rather unexpected,” Crader said. “We were no one’s choice to win leagues.”

Crader saw the team’s potential early on during a match versus Mercy last August. “At the beginning of the year, we got behind two sets to none against a good team from Mercy, in Burlingame,” Crader said. “We came back and won the next three sets, fairly comfortably, to win the match. I think that’s when we realized we could be pretty good.”

The game would be a foreshadowing of the exciting season to come. Paly captured its sixth league title in eight years, finishing with a league record of 12-0 in the SCVAL-De Anza Division. In addition to an impressive league campaign, the Viking’s 27-4 regular season record marked their best performance since the 2011 state championship team.

They closed out their season with losses versus state runner-up Mitty in the CCS Open playoffs and NorCal finalist Rocklin in the NorCal D-1 first round.

Senior and co-captain Kylie Yen received recognition as the league’s Most Outstanding Senior, and Maura Hambly made history as the first freshman to earn league MVP honors.

Juniors Sophie Mies, Naama Green, and Sophie Pan had standout performances as well. Mies led the Vikings’ season total with 787 assists, Green had a total of 86 blocks, and Pan had a final count of 126 kills.

“The seniors provided great leadership, a group of juniors showed how much they had improved over the last year, and a newcomer showed up with talent, personality, and great competitive spirit,” Crader said. “In the end, it was the perfect blend to go from worst to first.”

Leadership was an important factor throughout the season. Seniors on the team included Risha Suvarna, Clarissa Lee, Sophia Yang, Ella Hunt, and co-captains Reine Shultz and Kylie Yen.

“Our seniors were amazing teammates and selfless leaders,” Crader said. “Even when their own situation wasn’t what they wanted, they were always doing what the team, and their teammates, needed.”

The seniors’ leadership and hard work were appreciated by teammates such as sophomore Reese Japic as well.

“As the only sophomore on the team, everyone was so welcoming and supportive, and that is how we worked together the entire season,” Japic said. “A lot of our success comes from having so many experienced upperclassmen to guide us and show us better ways to play and win.”

Strong leadership was not the only factor that contributed to success.“The girls just showed up every day, worked hard, treated each other really well, and competed hard – and all the rest took care of itself,” Crader said.

“We would practice or play five times a week, and we always have our annual team bonding at Poplar Beach, which is a great way for the team to bond before the season is in full swing,” Pan said. “We also had team dinners before games and have a tradition of singing the song ‘Shots’ before games. I think all these things built a strong team culture, which showed on the court.”

This team culture was appreciated by not only the players, but the coaches as well.“The staff, the players, and their parents, are great people, and fun to work with,” Crader said. “As a coach, you mostly just want to be somewhere where you feel appreciated, and where you feel like you can make a difference, and that happened on this team.”

Kylie Yen reflects on the season, highlighting not only their performance on the court but also the joy shared along the way.

“This season was definitely the best season out of the four years I’ve played volleyball at Paly,” Yen said. “Not only in terms of our performance but because we had a lot of fun along the way. I think just knowing that we all had each others’ backs and we all wanted to support each other made this season great.”

The 2023-2024 season was a great success for the Vikings. The girls were able to bring together several factors, including talent, leadership, and team bonding to bring home an undefeated league season and title.

“Sometimes you just get a great mix of players who are all at good places in their growth, and everything just fits together,” Crader said. “It was really a highlight season and a true success story!”

HONORABLE MENTION: Girls Swim and Dive

Another Paly girls team that excelled this year was Swim and Dive. The team has had a good track record in recent years, placing third in last year’s CCS championships. This year, the girls dominated the regular season. 

The Vikings finished league 6-0, winning every dual meet by at least 30 points each time. They finished out the league season as SCVAL champions, beating second place Los Gatos 555-316.

“We have so many talented and dedicated swimmers, and so much depth on the team,” sophomore Romy Kirby said. “With a combination of hard work at practices and talent, we were able to perform really well this league season.” 

The season continues, as the CCS and State Championships are now front and center in each swimmer’s mind. This year, the girls have a deep roster attending, including senior Scarlet Kwan, juniors Llew Ladomirak, Charlotte Lungren, Lucy Zhao, and Katie Spitzer, sophomores Yuka Hara, Romy Kirby, and Fallon Porter, and finally freshmen Ella Rosenfield, Audrey Mi, Hannah Oh, Katherine Kirk, Julianna Stonich, and Sabrina Meyes. 

Kirby has high hopes to come out with a victory. “Our goal for CCS is to pull out a win and have around 20 people from girls and guys combined go to states,” Kirby said. 

The girls will be losing seniors and captains Grace Gormley, Brooke Hudacek, and swimmer Scarlet Kwan. “We will miss our seniors so much,” Kirby said. “They have really led our team this season.” 

However, according to sophomore Fallon Porter, the future looks bright. “Next year is looking good, because we are getting some fast freshmen. The rest of us incoming seniors, juniors, and sophomores will continue to represent,” Porter said. 

Girls diving had a successful season as well. They won each dual meet in the SCVAL season, and ultimately placed second in league. Senior Alena Lotterer was a key player to the achievements of Paly Dive, according to junior Svina Narang. 

“Alena was a very important diver for us,” Narang said. “She placed second at CCS and was a big leader on the team.”