The Norwin Girls Volleyball team strives for success this season. With an overall record of 3-11, and a section record of 1-7, the Lady Knights did not make WPIALS this season, ranking 5th overall in their section.
Mrs. Ferragonio, the girls volleyball coach, said that the girls are steadily improving to a great degree throughout the season. Ferragonio looked forward to showing off her team’s skills at WPIALS, but they were ranked 5th in their section, therefore not making the playoffs. However, with playoffs approached quickly on the week of October 23, and the team practiced nearly every day after school in order to perform their best at the games.
“The players have improved on their all-around play and are continually working to improve their confidence,” said Ferragonio. “They [girls volleyball players] work hard and support one another.”
The early parts of the season for the girls were very back and forth, with losses at Kiski (1-3) and Upper Saint Clair (2-3), and a win at Franklin Regional (3-1). However, the Lady Knights for a while were ranked 5th in WPIAL Section 3 (Class 4A), as they try to reach the WPIAL playoffs, the girls must be one of the four top ranked teams in Section play.
“Reaching playoffs is a great accomplishment because you can recognize how hard you’ve worked to go towards winning a championship,” said Alaina Fonzi, a junior player. “However, that just means the real work is going to begin.”
Their most recent game was held at Peters Township where the girls lost 0-3. Even though they lost another game shortly after, the girls will not give up when it comes to trying their hardest at every game.
On Oct. 5, the girls volleyball team participated at a game against the Hempfield Spartans, where they took on a huge section matchup against Norwin. Both teams participated in a volleyball fundraiser at the game, including raffle baskets, miracles in minutes, duck toss, and a serving contest. All of the proceeds from the volleyball fundraiser and fun games went directly to pediatric cancer research.
With a wide mix of freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors on the girls volleyball team, both JV and Varsity players, all of the players have encouraged each other to keep going despite losses throughout the season.
“We are really lucky to have a group of girls who get along well, support and include one another, encourage one another, and have a great sense of humor,” said Ferragonio.
After their many losses, the girls have been hard on themselves. Fonzi thinks the girls’ performance has to do with their decreasing self confidence. Many of the girls are also involved in honors or AP courses, other clubs, and jobs outside of school.
“I think the team has been down on ourselves and we’re losing our confidence,” said Fonzi. “We’re a good team who plays strong components, but we let the pressure [of performing well] get to us.”
Jillian Pensenstadler (12) has been playing for the girls volleyball team for three years at Norwin. In her opinion, the team has not performed their best yet but they are getting closer to reaching their full potential after each game they play.
“This year has been the most our team has bonded,” said Pensenstadler. “There have been no problems or situations that needed handling. As the dynamic goes, there is an understanding of where everyone fits and what roles everyone plays on the team, which was hard to clarify in past years.”
As they head toward the end of their season and closer to the cutoff for WPIAL playoffs, the girls volleyball team prepares for whatever may be ahead of them. Ultimately, the Lady Knight girls volleyball team did not make WPIAL playoffs because they were ranked 5th with an overall score of 3-11. On and off the court, the girls have been improving themselves, helping them achieve anything they set their mind to, in order to set the ball over the net.
