On Thursday, Oct. 24th, varsity girls volleyball brought home the victory in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) City Championships against Lane, winning 2 of the 3 sets played and making them back-to-back champions. 

“The game was a roller coaster, that’s for sure,” said varsity player Suraya Hadden ‘27. The Eagles started off strong in the first set, but their lead began to falter during the second.

“We won the first set pretty closely, 25-20,” said Hadden. “But the second set was really bad. We lost 25 to 8.”

With their confidence bruised after a rocky second set, the pressure to regain the lead began to set in for the Jones players.

“Everyone started getting in their heads,” said Hadden. “We just weren’t playing the game that we usually play.

During the break after the poor second set, the coach helped the team realize that victory was their only option.

“Coming out of the second [set], I think everyone definitely had the mindset that we could not lose,” said Berchman, “and that really helped us pull through in the third set.”

But the third and final set turned the game back in the Eagles’ favor. After a period of wavering confidence, Jones won the title by two points.

“We had to really push hard in the third set because it was a really close game,” said Hadden.

Reflecting on the game, the Eagles were able to recognize how close they were to losing their momentum and potentially the entire game.

“We just kind of sold ourselves, acting like we already won the whole game, and it [started] to go downhill because of that,” said Hadden.

Despite the roadblock that the team faced during the second set, they worked hard to turn it around and secure the win.

“The fact that we were able to come back from such a tough loss in the second set, that was impressive,” said varsity player Lily Berry ‘27.. “It’s important to keep your energy up no matter what, and I think we did well with that in the third set.”

While the team’s season is now over and most of the players are celebrating their achievements, the future of the girls volleyball team is unclear for sophomores like Berry and Hadden.

“[Next year] we’re losing a lot of our starting lineup when our seniors graduate, and now people are going to be looking out to beat us, so it’s going to get really competitive,” said Berry.

Because of the huge role the seniors played in the team, securing the win was all the more meaningful.

“I was excited to get this win because we’re losing all the seniors, so it’s a good way to end the season,” said Hadden.

However, the seniors and their important roles were not the only elements in the Eagles’ successful season. 

“We also started the season with a new coach, which was really a big adjustment to a new coaching style,” said Berry.

A new coach means new tactics. Players had to adjust their play styles to fit the new team focus.

“I learned different techniques, and I was playing a new position too. So I definitely learned a lot from that,” said Berry.

The new energy that the coach brought to the team ended up being just what they needed to push them through the last set of the City Championship. 

“I really do think the coach contributed quite a bit,” said varsity player Scarlet Berchman ‘27. “He definitely motivated me and I think that helped me and my serves during the game.”