Before heading off to their super-sectional matchup against Chicago (Marist), senior volleyball players Shelby Sennett (#11 Libero), Adsea Schieler (#8 Outside Hitter), Ally Highland (#6 Middle Hitter), and Ellie Rink (#9 Outside Hitter) along with Head Coach Kelsey Mueller, fill us in on their thoughts and emotions heading into tonight’s big match up.

When did you start playing volleyball? What made you decide to play volleyball?

Sennett: Yeah, so I started playing volleyball in fourth grade, and I wanted to start playing because of my sister. I looked up to her a lot growing up, and I still do. So, yeah, she kind of inspired me to want to play volleyball.

Schieler: I started playing in fifth grade at Illini Elite, and then at Parkside. I just started playing volleyball because it was a sport that, just like, stood out to me more than others.

Highland: I started playing in fourth grade because of my mom. She grew up playing here and at ISU, so she kind of put the idea in my head to start playing.

Rink: I started playing in like second or third grade at Illini Elite. My sister did, as well. And we kind of just tried out all the sports when we were younger. And then my dad also played, like, for fun when he was out of college. So yeah, we kind of just did all the sports, and then I decided I liked volleyball the best.

Think back on your high school volleyball career. Four years is a long time. How have you grown as a player/person from West volleyball?

Sennett: I think I’ve definitely gotten more confident, and this team has made me feel like at home, the more and more that I’ve played with these players, and I think that just creating a bond with all of them is just like, creating a family atmosphere has really helped and made me feel like stronger as a player overall.

Schieler: I think that I just… I made a lot of like friendships, and I’ve gotten close with everyone throughout each year. I feel like I was really close with every single team, as it changed throughout the years. I’ve tried to have really good, close connections with everyone.

Highland: I’ve definitely grown more confident as a player and a person. I came in pretty shy my freshman year, and this team has really brought me out of my shell, and making all these new friends, being here for four years has really just helped.

Rink: I think growing as a player, I think I’ve gotten a lot like more mentally tough. I think, throughout my years, and I obviously developed, volleyball skills, but like, as a player and a person, I’ve just developed a lot of friendships, and I think I’ve also grown a lot as a person, being more vocal and just more of a leader, as well.

You’re each senior…so in what ways have you worked to set good examples for the underclassmen of West volleyball?

Sennett: I think staying disciplined and being positive obviously, like we are upperclassmen. So like younger people do look up to us. So, I think just like knowing that we’re like setting the example and just always putting our best foot forward every day.

Schieler: Um, again, I think just the connections and talking to even the freshmen or JV teams. um, Just being, including and just always staying positive…just like having those close connections to the underclassmen.

Highland: I’ve definitely tried to connect with all of the players, even if I don’t know them too well. And I also try to remind everyone that it’s supposed to be fun. Like, if someone’s having not the best day, I try to bring them up because volatile supposed to be a fun sport.

Rink: Um, I think I like to lead by example, so like making sure I’m always doing the little things at practice and at games and stuff, and then I also try to talk to all the younger players and make sure they feel included in our activities and stuff at practice.

It’s no secret that you guys have had a stellar season–going 17-0 before Intercity and then ending with a 36-3 record (so far). When did you guys realize that this season was going to be special? 

Sennett: We knew it was going to be special right off the jump…like, right from the start, coming in over the summer and doing the camps. I just think that we all know that this is a special group, and we got a lot of good players this year. So yeah, I think, like, right off the back, I think we knew that this wasn’t just an ordinary team.

Schieler: I think we were all like… we all had the same mindset and same goals. So like, having that, it’s, like, really easy to see how far you can go and the potential you have.

Highland: I think since the beginning of the year, we have some returners and some new people, but the way we all mesh together and we get along so well, it’s been clear to see since the beginning that this should be a good season for us.

Rink: I agree. I think since the beginning of season, like last year, we made it to a super-sectional. We have a lot of returning players, and even players that were on JV or stuff,they stepped up a lot, and we just developed a really good, close team, which is, really important while we’re competing. So, that’s kind of the beginning of the season, I would say.

Expectations were high this season, especially the success over the past few years of Wildcat Volleyball. How have you guys stayed on track over the long season? How have you made sure not to lose focus / maintain those high expectations?

Sennett: So we did make it to super-sectionals last year. It’s obviously where we are at right now, and I think we did end up coming a little short last year, and I didn’t think any of us were really ready for that. So, I think we are hungry this year to continue to stay on track and get some wins, but yeah, I mean, all of us have been staying disciplined and have been wanting to put in the work. And yeah, I think we’re just hungry for more.

Highland: Yeah, and I think we’ve made it a focus this year to not look too far ahead. We take one game at a time, and we treat all teams the same, and I think that’s helped us maintain expectations and to stay focused on our goals.

What has practice looked like for you guys over the last few days as you prepare for the matchup with Chicago (Marist) tonight? Did you guys stay with a consistent routine or have you added anything in addition? 

Mueller: Yeah, a lot of our practices have stayed pretty consistent. We want to be able to trust our training that’s gotten us to this point. So, we just want to kind of keep working on building confidence and kind of repping the things that we feel like are our strengths, and then focusing on kind of tweaking some of those things that maybe didn’t go so well for us in the previous game. So nothing special necessarily for tonight. We did focus on serving kind of tough our goal is to keep them out of system, or to push them out of system. And then blocking was something that we were hoping to maybe work on, so we did some blocking yesterday at practice, but nothing out of the ordinary. We just want to keep rolling with what we know we’re good at.

Marist has many of their players committed to play at the next level, Including Maryland, Mississippi State, Northwestern and Davenport University. What do you guys know about them?  How have you prepared for this challenge?

Rink: I personally feel like it’s exciting to play these players that are committed to big places just to see what you can do against them. Like, I know we can do well against them, no matter where they’re going. But I’ve seen one girl in club, I know they’re going to be a tough team. I think preparing mentally will be big. Like, just because they’re going these places doesn’t mean they’re like, impossible to beat. Everybody’s a high school volleyball player. Um, so I just think if we fight hard and play our best. It shouldn’t really matter where they’re going to school.

Mueller: I would definitely echo that. I didn’t even really know all of their specific names, just because at this point, like, again, Ellie said, we’re all kind of on the same playing field, and some of that doesn’t really matter. So, we want to control what we can. We can’t control where they’re going to go to school or what they’re going to do. We’re really going to focus on just controlling our side. So, I think if we focus a lot on what are they going to do, what are they going to bring? It makes us feel like we’re out of control, and then I don’t think we play our best when we’re doing that. So, I think if we focus on what we can control and how we respond every point, how we can put together a solid match is going to be what’s going to be the game changer? Not anything that they’re going to do things, but we’re going to focus on how we respond to it.

You’ve also played some common opponents including Benet Academy, Loyola Academy, Normal Community, and Lincoln Way-East. Your record against those teams is a combined 4-2 and their record is  a combined 2-3. How has your non-conference schedule helped you prepare for this game? What can you take away from these common opponents?

Rink: I think it’s definitely a really good thing that we play at these big Chicago tournaments that are non conference, because our conference is mostly, I think, three a teams… but playing against those bigger opponents leading up to playoffs because that’s who we’re gonna be playing. lWe’re playing one of the big teams tonight. So, I think it just helps to see how we can compete from them, and then it also gives us stuff to focus on at practice. And so yeah, we can just take away lessons we can learn to just be even better.

Sennett: Yeah, I think kind of going off of that, it just kind of playing those bigger teams, it lets us see, like where we stand and like what we need to work on, obviously, but playing those bigger competition teams, it’s honestly more fun. Just makes everything more intense, because that’s what the game of volleyball is. And we like a good game of volleyball.

What are the keys to winning tonight? What are the must-dos in order to secure another Wildcat state-tournament appearance?

Rink: I think the main thing is just like staying true to who our team is. We don’t need to be a team that we’re not. We don’t need to be a huge team. I don’t know. We don’t have to do anything crazy…just playing Wildcat volleyball to the best of our ability with a lot of effort and just having fun and sticking together as a team. I think[that] is what will get us through this game tonight.

Highland: I think also, like Ellie said, just focusing on our side, playing with our energy and how we know we can play. And if we focus too much on what they’re doing, it’ll cause us to get in our heads. And, it’s more important to just focus on what we can do. I think that’s the biggest thing we need to focus on.

Mueller: I think sometimes when you get to the big the big matches, it can feel really hard, like, why you have to do this really crazy thing…, but what it really comes down to is who’s going to do the little things better. So, I think a focus tonight is going to be who’s going to handle and have attention-to-detail on the little things, like covering and off-blocker defense and disciplined blocking, and focusing on serve and pass, communication, staying together… all those little things can add up to something big. So, I think just focusing on the little things that we can control will be a big part.

Schieler: I definitely think, like serve and pass…and then also energy because it just plays it a big, important role in such a big game…and just keeping your head up no matter what.

Sennett: yeah, going along with, like, the whole energy. I think being in a super-sectional game can be, really intense and crazy, and it’s easy to get flustered. So, as I think as long as our team stays pretty confident in ourselves and calm and collected and make sure we’re working together, I think that’ll be one of the main keys to success for this game.

Last question for you guys: how are you feeling heading into tonight? What can you tell Wildcat Nation about what to expect from tonight’s game?

Sennett: I think it’s going to be a very intense game, super exciting. The energy is going to be high. I know we got a lot of fans coming out tonight to support us, so I think that’s going to help us. But yeah, I think we’re really excited.

Schieler: I think it will be super fun, and just like a lot of energy. And then I would expect a battle back and forth.

Mueller: We’ve been talking about a lot of these are hard moments, and we welcome that. Like, it’s supposed to be hard, so that doesn’t make us shy away. We welcome the hard. I also feel like this is an exciting experience. I think last year we were in the situation. I think at the beginning of the season, we were wanting this to happen again. But I’m confident in saying that we’re ready for this to happen and for us to to compete in battle tonight together. There’s a lot of trust and love with these girls. And I think when again, when our backs are against the wall, you know, that is going to make a make a difference. So I think they need to be ready for a battle and to stay with us throughout the whole thing. So we’re appreciative for everyone that’s coming. We’re supporting from afar.

Highland: It’s definitely going to be a battle. There’s going to be ups and downs, and we’re going to use the energy from the student sections and from ourselves, and we’re just going to do our best to leave everything on that court.

Rink: I agree. I think it’ll definitely be a very loud game. I don’t really know how big the gym is, but there’s going to be a lot of people there. I think it should be really exciting and fun, and just expect our team to just go all out and play as hard as we can.

Game time is at 6 p.m. at Richton Park. Check out @westpawprint on Instagram for live in-game updates!