Fall sports have officially started their seasons. Our very famous Niles West girls varsity volleyball team has put in tons of time and effort over the summer to get ready for their season. Now they’re ready to step up onto the court and dominate.

Varsity coach Stacy Roth is eager to start the season with a bang. With a tall team and very experienced players, Roth is confident that the team is going to be hard to stop this year.

“We are looking forward to the Niles North game on September 10th. It is our Breast Cancer Awareness Game and Junior High Night,” Roth said. “Some goals we have are to win Regionals, win a tournament, and finish in the top 3 of the conference.”

Every team needs a leader(s). This year, three captains were voted for by the team. Senior Arianna Lopez, senior Majila Spahija, and junior Evan Arvizu.

“They all have a passion for volleyball and are leaders on and off the court. No matter the situation these three are able to bring our team together, and they are respected by the team as role models,” Roth said.

Senior and captain Majila Spahija sees a lot of potential in the team’s performance for the season and is ecstatic to see the turnout.

“I’m really excited to see us grow together as a team because the season has just begun and our chemistry is already so strong. I’m positive that we can make it far this year because we definitely have the talent to do so,” Spahija said.

Being given a great leadership role comes with great responsibility that Spahija is ready to take on. Someone who is as passionate as her about the sport she plays deserves this opportunity.

“Being captain to me means being the player that everyone can depend on and feel comfortable to talk to,” Spahija said. “I play a great role on this team, therefore, I’m really  focusing on hyping my team up and always being ready to go because they picked me for a reason.”

Aside from experienced varsity players, some incoming players are playing their first year on varsity. Junior Stephanie Tomuta has been brought up to the varsity level to play libero/DS.

“Personally, I hope to do whatever I can as an individual to make our team better as a whole in practices and in games,” Tomuta said. “My position requires a lot of effort and in order to get the kills you need, you always have to have a good pass. This can be very stressful when your opponents are very good, but the excitement from your teammates when you get the dig that leads to a kill makes all the hard work worth it.”

The girls never fail to make every season memorable, along with their fans.

“I really enjoy coaching the girls that we have each year. They are always hard workers, coachable, and good students. I also enjoy the excitement the sport brings and the awesome fans that we have at the games,” Roth said.

Make sure to stop by and visit some of the games this fall. Also, go follow @nwgvvb on Instagram to stay updated with their season. Good luck girls!