Even after losing the first two sets during the state championship on Nov. 15, the team captains said they never quit. The result? They won the final three sets and the championship.
In a candid conversation last week, team captains Lindsey Solomon and Taylor Donohue shared insight into how they worked to turn things around with themselves and the team.
“The thing that makes us such a strong team is that we celebrate every point and we play with intensity. We were playing scared and we didn’t have any energy in the first two sets. When we got to that 3rd set, we started to play like we had nothing to lose and everything to gain” said Lindsey Solomon.
Being captain in such a big game, it’s not only hard on yourself, but it’s also hard to keep up with your teammates. After the first 2 sets of the game, there was a drastic mood change in emotion and pressure.
“I definitely put a lot of pressure on myself because even when we were down, I knew that I wanted to be the person that people could look at and have faith in. I never want to look angry or upset in a game because all that does is discourage my teammates. Obviously I was nervous but I wanted to put forward a calm front to be there and support my teammates” said Solomon.
Taylor Donohue is the other Captain on the team. Being captain this year, she continues to lead with a positive attitude.
“Giving that pre-game pep talk, I assumed we would come out really strong because we all know how badly we want it, and the whole hour ride there was just like a lot to prepare for. So the fact we didn’t come out that way, Like even right after the second set, I walked into the huddle saying we are reverse sweeping and going to five sets.”
Getting in your own head is one of the biggest things that get in the way of your mentality as a whole. Taylor Donohue realizes the team can only win, if they work together.
“After that 4th set, we huddled for the 5th set. We were like “all right, we beat them so badly in the fourth set, like we can do this. After the timeout, I’m pretty sure it was 13-8 or 7. I instantly gave Coach a hug and I was like “we got this, we’re gonna do it.”
