After many new players joined the varsity team last year, girls volleyball had a tough season with a 19-17 record. They now hope for a successful season filled with returning talent, Taylor Carroll ’27 said.

“Everyone’s gotten a lot better, and people who were really good last year improved so much,” Carroll said. “I feel like we have a lot of potential, and I think also just as a team, we do a good job. We have good team cohesion this year, so hopefully that will lead to more wins.”

Nearly 95% of former varsity athletes have returned this year, Carroll said. One freshman and one sophomore were brought up to varsity for this season.

“I’m really excited for the season,” Carroll said. “[It’s] very different for me to not be the youngest one.”

This year, the volleyball team has welcomed a new assistant varsity coach, Giovanni Llinas Rosa, to work with head coach Jill Bober.

“I love him,” Carroll said. “He teaches math at [SC] and he was one of my club coaches, so I knew him. He’s very fun and he’s very smart. He was on the Puerto Rican national team, so he knows a lot of volleyball.” 

Llinas Rosa has played at the collegiate, international, and professional levels in places such as Argentina, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. 

“I believe matches are often decided by the small, fundamental details,” Llinas Rosa said. “This season, we are emphasizing communication, accountability, and consistency in execution.”

Although the team has been training together for the last two months, expectations for the team’s success are unknown, Carroll said.

“My focus this season is on learning the league, understanding the competition, and helping our players develop the mindset and skills to compete at the highest level,” Llinas Rosa said. “My priority is that at the end of the season, our girls feel a strong sense of accomplishment and that they recognize their progress, their growth as competitors, and their contributions to the team. Each player has unique strengths, and I look forward to helping them maximize those strengths to the best of my abilities.”

The girls’ next match is today, Sept. 23, against Hinsdale Central in the NC Fieldhouse.

“I’m very excited for it, and I think this will be a good year for us to see how good we can be with so many very talented athletes,” Carroll ‘27 said.