Volleyball Wins 11th EIL Championship
Senior Tri-captains undefeated
On Saturday, February 27, Bancroft's girls Varsity Volleyball captured
their 11th straight EIL Pool A Championship with a victory over
Governor's Academy. As Coach Gary Patch and the team say good-bye to
eight senior players, it is a bittersweet day for the three senior
captains who have been on the team since freshman year.
Seniors
Megan A., Gabrielle T., and Clara Z., have been playing together on
Bancroft Volleyball teams since sixth grade, and attribute both their
fundamental skills and their love of the game to the foundation created
by their MS Coach Russ Enlow. "He really loved the game and made it so
much fun to play," says Clara.
The girls are modest in talking
about their achievements. All three are premiere players in both the
EIL and in Club Leagues and were all recruited to play volleyball in
college. Meg and Clara will play in Division 3 teams for Middlebury and
Trinity respectively, and Gabby opted to go to Division I University of
Pennsylvania and hopes to make the team as a walk-on.
As a team, Bancroft's Varsity Volleyball has an amazing record of 145
consecutive wins—setting another new state high school record. "It's
about the love of the game, not the winning." Surprising words from the
three who have never lost a match but they are very sincere when they
talk about their team. It is the sense of team that has contributed to
their success and it's the people and the team traditions the girls
will miss the most—the matching hair ribbons (started by a former
teammate, and continued by Meg who hopes another teammate will continue
it), Tacky Tuesdays, and their "Ace" cheers, just to name a few.
Although they are sad to see the season end, they are excited about
moving on to college, playing with a new team, and learning new
traditions.
What advice do they offer to their teammates for
next year? Gabby and Clara agree that Meg says it best, "Don't worry about
the record and the pressure of winning. Just play the best you can and
play because you love to play."
Photo right: Championship 2009-2010 Varsity Volleyball team ends their undefeated season with the Eastern Independent League Championship. Coach Gary Patch and the team say good-bye to the eight senior players: Ashley S., Tiffany S., Emilee S., Anna M., Clara Z., Gabrielle T., Megan A., and Sarah B.! Congratulations.
(Photos courtesy of Zinman family)
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