The Staples girls’ volleyball team finished with a 17-1 record in the FCIAC, and as runner-ups in both the FCIAC and CIAC tournaments this past season.
Despite not getting a gold medal, the season was their best so far coach John Shepro said. “Our run this year was special,” Shepro remarked.
The biggest contributor to the success was not the talent that the girls possessed, but the chemistry within the locker room. Amelia Brackett ’14, captain and leading scorer for the team said that, “Even though we were all so different, we came together and the seniors did a great job integrating the juniors.”
This integration lead to the best season the team has experienced since 1992 — the last time they made it to the state final. Shepro attributed much of this success to his two MVPs of the season, senior captains Lauren Mushro ’14 and Amelia Brackett ’14. The two were consistent through every game playing both offense and defense in every rotation.
Even though the team is looking forward to repeating their success next year, they’re also losing seven key seniors.
However, Shepro was keen on making sure his team was prepared for seasons to come. Both juniors Elizabeth Knoll ’14 and Kaela O’Kelly ’14 received significant playing time this year and were able to learn from their senior mentors.
They not only learned skills from the predecessors, but were able to recognize what they did in order to build a sense of camaraderie within the locker room. “The seniors really set a good example for us juniors in how to really play as a team and treat everyone on the team equally” O’Kelly said.
Despite two heartbreaking losses in their tournament finals, the girls turned in the best season the program has seen in decades. They built a strong core both on and off the court this season and have truly become a force to be reckoned with for seasons to come.
