Despite a difficult loss to rival Lyons Township on Oct. 7, the girls’ varsity volleyball team is still angling for a strong finish at conference.

The team lost in two matches to LT, although they were backed by an incredibly loud crowd. The large turnout was very exciting for the team and gave an extra boost when they were playing.

“It gave us a lot more adrenaline,” said Brooke Istvan, senior. “When I was on the court, after the first kill, I got goose bumps.”

The team, however, was also somewhat intimidated by the noise, which led to mistakes. At times the noise distracted players from routine shots and affected the team’s communication.

“It affected our passing,” Istvan said. “When people were serving and receiving, their passes were really bad.”

Nonetheless, the team was happy with its performance. Strong offense and team chemistry were all positives in the game, according to Istvan.

“All in all, I think we played pretty well,” Istvan said. “We also played really well as a team. We’ve had some bad team chemistry, but in that game and in the past few weeks, our team chemistry has been really good. When you’re on the court it feels like the team is supporting you.”

Although the loss hurts the team by lowering their odds in conference, the girls still think they will remain in the running and learn from the experience.

“Even though we lost to LT, I think we can learn from a lot in that game so that, when we play them next, we can beat them,” said Lauren Fuller, senior.

In the wake of the loss, the large show of school spirit and the team’s improvement are giving the team and the school high hopes for the rest of the season.