For the first time in 33 years, the girls’ volleyball team reached a pinnacle of regular season success, winning over Hannibal in four sets and decisive victories over Parkway North and North Point. The Colts posted a 24-14-1 record led by senior captains Josie Robinson, Rachel Ladd, and Lindsey Waxberg. For, long-time volleyball coach Tom Schaefer winning districts was a noteworthy feat. 

“I think it was a very special accomplishment, they are very hard to come by and the girls played very well and worked very hard and they really stepped up in districts and got the job done,” Schaefer said. 

For Robinson, a veteran volleyball player who’s played all four years for PCH, the district championship win was gratifying. 

“Playing volleyball for so many years and ending senior year with a district championship…felt very good and having all those years of playing pay off,” said Robinson. Despite the successful season, the girls lost to Incarnate Word, the eventual state runner-up in the first round of the state bracket. 

“The first few sets were terrible and the crowd wasn’t really into it,” said sophomore Keri Piepho. “But the third set we really didn’t want it to be the last set our seniors played of volleyball, so in the third set we all came together, we all wanted to win, and the crowd started to get into it. In the 4th set, we should have won and were up by 5 points, but it isn’t about the should haves.” 

Piepho who was a swing player for JV and varsity last year and full-time varsity player this year worked hard over the offseason to improve. 

“My offseason was basically club volleyball and I also did track which helped me a lot with volleyball and building my endurance and in the summer I also did clinics,” said Piepho. 

Even with the new additions to the team such as Piepho, the three returning captains played a crucial role in Colt’s success.

“All three were extremely important to us both as players and leaders,” said Schaefer. “Rachel as a 5-1 setter is touching the ball every time and she is just phenomenal. She gets around the court so quickly, she changes direction so quickly and so well, and with the type of team we had, she was the perfect person to run the 5-1 for us. What we tried to do around her was keep the ball off the ground and challenge the other team. Lindsey and Josie both being defensive players, with serve receive and defense, we kept the ball alive.”

Schaefer also credits the captains for their serving skills. 

“All of them were exceptional servers and that really put pressure on other teams,” Schaefer said.

All in all, Robinson thought the season went well in spite of difficulties,  

“I know we had some rough practices but I think we were all able to come together during games and clean it up very nicely,” Robinson said.