The DePaul College Prep women’s volleyball team usually has had success in the past but not the success they strive for. This year something new is in the air. The women’s volleyball program has a very impressive record with currently holding the title of eighteen games won and just two games lost. This success did not come overnight and just by luck. This success is achieved by many different factors such as practice energy and team chemistry.

Coach Caroline Gajzler is the head volleyball coach for the women’s team and has been for the past five years. Gajzler has also had various coaching experiences before she came to DePaul Prep.

“I started off at Wheeling High School then I went to Loyola Academy and then I was at Resurrection for a year,” she said.

With all this experience, Coach Gajzler has just recently collected her hundredth career win at DePaul Prep.

Gajzler has worked on creating a specific practice schedule that drives the players to become better and overall as a team become more successful. One of the main factors that correlates to success is the end of practice competition. This competition is very rigorous and includes scrimmages to practice for game- like situations.

Gajzler said, “I think the gameplay and the competition because it gets the girls in the right mindset.”  Practicing the competitive side of the game helps the players get real situations in game practice which is crucial to win sets in real matches.

Junior Harper Hoffman has played volleyball at DePaul since her freshman year and said, “It’s the most applicable to real life situations in games.”

In practice you can only get so many repetitions or practice of the same serve or passing. In these game-like situations you are preparing for what you are seeing in a game, not the basic repetitions you do every practice.

Another factor that is crucial to winning games is team chemistry. This year there are eleven seniors on the varsity team. Gajzler said, “They know what is expected and have played at a high level for four years now and that comes with team chemistry.”

Hoffman said the team chemistry is especially good this year because, “Everyone on the team has known each other for long enough and played together enough that we are more comfortable with how we play.”

Kalia Kroth, sophomore, has been on varsity two years now and has played for six years now. When  Kroth was asked about the team’s success said another important factor is the passion to play. “This year I feel like everyone wants to get out on the court and we succeed so much by always making each other better at practice and always pushing each other.”

Gazjler said, “We really have been pushing the details matter this year.”  These small details can decide between a win and loss. The small details are calling mine on a ball, hitting the ball in the perfect spot, and even setting the right way. “We were successful in the conference last year but didn’t win it and wanted to focus on the small things that can make small differences,” she added.

Hoffman said another big factor to success is energy. “Energy overall in practice too, if we have a good practice with good energy we are going to feel more confident going into the game.”

This good energy is cheering on teammates, having a positive attitude, and overall showing your love for the game of volleyball.

With all these factors listed there isn’t one that is clearly above the rest. t Gajzler said her opinion is that “It’s a combination of a lot of small things that adds up to being successful.”

Although playoffs for volleyball may seem far away, they are on the horizon. Gajzler doesn’t feel this way, saying   “One day at a time, one match at a time.” Gajzler  has confidence in her team that they will perform the best they can and does not have to worry about future matches because of this trust. All Coach Gajzler is focused on is conference matches because those matches are most crucial for playoffs.

“I would like to take care of conference and then each tournament as it comes”

Overall, there are many factors such as practicing, the energy, team chemistry and the passion of the team that has led them to be the team they strive to be. The volleyball team still has half of their season left, and by the looks of it success is in the last half of the season.