By Sadie Willett – Staff Reporter

The Jonathan Law volleyball team is headed to the state tournament with a championship in mind.

The volleyball team finished off their regular season with an record of 17-3 tying Amity for the title of 2019 SCC Oronoque Division Champion.

“I’m really excited for the postseason,” head coach Ms. Loch said. “Our team overall was disappointed in losing in the semifinals in SCCs, but now we are excited to begin our state tournament to accomplish our goal of winning the state championship.”

Last year the volleyball team was knocked out of the SCC tournament in the first round.

This year’s SCC tournament ended on a better note for the team. Law defeated North Haven in the first round of the SCC tournament on their home court, then defeated Hand before losing to Guilford in the semifinals.

With the state tournament  coming up, the team hopes to reach the finals and secure the championship.

“Looking back on last postseason, something that we will do better this postseason is just trying to keep our intensity up, trying our best no matter what happens and trusting each other,” senior captain Emily Morey said. 

This year, the volleyball team is prioritizing team cooperation. The team along with the captains believe that this is best in order to achieve a state title. 

“I love our team bond, they’re truly my second family, especially due to the amount of time we spend together,” senior captain Eden Van Waveren said.

Law lost to Seymour in the state semifinals last postseason, and they believe that has prepared them for the intensity of this year’s upcoming state tournament. 

“What I’m looking forward to most is getting as far as possible in the state tournament,” senior captain Katie McNellis said. “It’s been our goal since the beginning of the season to get to the state finals and I’m excited to work hard to get there.”

The team practices three hours each day and not only builds up their endurance, but their communication as well. 

Loch spends a lot of time working on team bonding techniques as well.

“The way in which we will work together as a team to go far in this postseason is by communicating, being confident, having a great amount of energy, and just really playing with our absolute hearts: giving it everything we’ve got,” Morey said.

As the postseason comes to an end, the team is also feeling emotions of empathy towards the departing seniors.

The seniors are an extremely substantial component to the team’s dynamic throughout the season. 

The conclusion to the postseason will leave many members of the team saddened, as it will never be left the same, according to the team.

“I’ve made friendships that will last a lifetime,” Van Waveren said. “I enjoy all of our countless memories and laughs throughout all of my four seasons of being on this team.”