The Plainwell varsity volleyball team has had a very large shift from upperclassmen to underclassmen between the ‘22-’23 and ‘23-’24 season. Up until this year, the varsity team has only had one or two starting freshmen on the varsity level. This year Jordyn Erdody (‘27), Anna Overway (‘27), and Avery Thorp (‘27) are all included freshmen on the starting lineup.
Having a young team is good for a growing program, but it also comes with its downfalls. Erdody explains, ”You don’t really have a say and it’s just like ‘okay’, you just have to like get bossed around,” The stereotypical team dynamic between upperclassmen and underclassmen is usually somewhat hostile and challenging to adapt to. It can tend to affect the team chemistry. On the other hand, once the team chemistry clicks, it clicks. Thorp says “Everyone’s just amazing. They’re good at what they do and it’s like all the pieces of the puzzle come together when we play,” The environment of the team is an important aspect of the team’s success. The younger players contribute energy and commitment to the team.
Volleyball is an extremely mental sport, requiring each player to maintain a good mindset throughout the game, otherwise the team will struggle. Thorp says, “Understand that the mental side of things is more- could be more important than the actual physical aspect of the game,” Overway also talked about the mental side of things, stating, “Sometimes it gets overwhelming, especially being in high school now, and all the schoolwork, but I usually just get through it, I guess, and just think like at the end, I wanna do volleyball,” Balancing school and sports can be a lot for student-athletes, but adapting to high school and homework while also keeping up with a sport for the very first time is even harder.
Volleyball is a team sport, meaning the girls on the team lean on each other for positivity and support, especially in times of struggle. Autumn Gravelyn (‘26), who was a freshman on varsity the previous season, says, “In the beginning of the season I had a really hard time, then maybe halfway through the season Catey, Nat, and Grace kind of took me under their wing and helped me a lot, and it was a lot easier having them tell me like, ‘its fine’, cause Catey and Grace were also on varsity as freshmen,” Gravelyn’s experiences made her want to take in some of the freshmen so they would feel welcomed and know what to do if they felt pressured or overwhelmed during the season. Gravelyn states, “Since I was the only freshman on varsity last year, I have a lot of knowledge on how I can help them, especially since there’s three of them,”
The freshman talent has led the varsity volleyball team to having stronger and more diverse skills on the court. PHS is excited to see the growth in leadership and talent for the class of ‘27 in the future.
