It’s not every year the Trinity Girls’ Volleyball team makes it to playoffs, but that didn’t stop this year’s team from working harder than ever to achieve their goal. A combination of determination, dedication and team work helped this year’s team glide through the regular season with a 9-3 record and qualify for the playoffs. 

Although the team only made it to the second match of playoffs, advancing to the postseason at all was quite the accomplishment. It marked the first time any of the current team members played in the WPIAL playoffs as part of the Trinity Girls’ Volleyball team. In fact, the last time the program qualified for WPIALS was over a decade ago. 

Needless to say, all of the girls were excited about making it to playoffs. 

“I think we had the right amount of balance on the court– skill, athleticism, determination. I was 100% excited [to make it to playoffs] because every single part of me wanted to put all my years of work to the test and show people what Trinity could do,” Senior Co-Captain Vivian Poach said. 

Finding that “right balance” was key for the team this year. In the midst of COVID-19 and the onslaught of new safety regulations, the beginning of the season had a “different energy,” as Poach put it. 

From the cancellation of the summer season, to having a limited fan section, at times the players felt discouraged by the new challenges the pandemic brought. However, the girls took the recent changes in stride and became closer as a team.

Coach Helmkamp commented that this year’s group of seniors really went the extra mile to make sure all of the team members felt comfortable. 

“They [the seniors] overall built a culture of hard work and higher expectations,” she noted. 

According to Co-Captain Emma Morgan, “We as a team are very close…This was definitely a huge factor in making the playoffs. Since we were all so close it made it fun to come to practice and put in the work instead of dreading coming to practice.”

The girls made their time together fun and lighthearted, telling jokes at practice and holding ice cream socials. Of course, eating dessert together was not the only way the team prepared for payoffs. Countless hours of practice on and off the court and relentless determination helped give the girls the additional edge they needed to make it to playoffs.

When the team qualified for the WPIAL playoffs, they were ecstatic. They pushed away any feelings of nervousness and doubled down on preparations for the postseason. 

The team’s six seniors were particularly elated after four years of practice and improvement helped them reach the playoffs, a goal they had dreamed of since freshman year. 

Despite only advancing to the second round of playoffs, the team maintained their positive outlook about the season.

 Coach Helmkamp was proud of all the team members and wanted to thank the seniors especially, “for their hard work and for making this program noticeable again.”

While the season may be over for the Trinity Girls’ volleyball team, the bonds the girls formed and the memories they made will last a lifetime.