Going into the second half of the season with a record of 1-6, the volleyball team hoped to get more wins under their belt by the end of the season. With the injury of one of their biggest players, senior Shyann Komara, the team had to readjust in order to secure more victories. With their goals set high, the volleyball team went into the second half of the season with high attitudes.
The team was supposed to host Hopewell at home on Sept. 24, but due to a hole in the gym floor, the game had to be moved to Hopewell so no injuries would be caused. The Lady Bulldogs ended up falling to Hopewell in straight sets, 3-0.
With the repairs completed, Freedom was able to host Chartiers-Houston for their game on Sept. 26. The team fell in all three sets, 25-16, 25-17 and 25-10. For their next game, Freedom traveled to Avonworth on Oct. 1. The Lady Bulldogs were outmatched and fell in three sets with scores of 25-4, 25-13 and 25-13, respectively.
On Oct. 3, the Lady Bulldogs played against South Park on their home court. South Park beat Freedom in straight sets, 25-10, 25-12 and 25-13.
Freedom traveled to Quigley on Oct. 7 for a rematch against their opponent who they had beat earlier in the season. In the first set, Quigley beat Freedom in a close set, winning 25-22. However, in the next three sets, the Lady Bulldogs came back and beat Quigley in three more close sets, 25-17, 25-17 and 25-21. By winning their game 3-1, they increased their record to 2-10.
After their win against Quigley, Freedom traveled to North Catholic on Oct. 8. The team put up a good fight but ultimately fell in straight sets, 3-0. For their next game, they hosted OLSH at home on Oct. 10. Freedom lost in straight sets to the Chargers 25-16, 25-18 and 25-12.
For their final away game, the Lady Bulldogs traveled to Lincoln Park to take on the Leopards. The team played consistently throughout the game, but Lincoln Park triumphed over Freedom in straight sets, 3-0.
For their senior night, Freedom took on Western Beaver in the high school gym on Oct. 16. Prior to the game, seniors Komara, Baylee Stewart, Leigha Stewart and Morgan Swab were all recognized for their part on the team and were all honorary captains for the game. The first set was very close, with the Lady Bulldogs only losing the first set by four points, 25-21. Freedom tried to come back in the next set, but the team fell 25-12. Much like the first set, the third set was very close, but Freedom lost to the Beavers by a score of 25-21, losing the game 0-3.
For the final game of the regular season, Freedom took on Hopewell at home on Oct. 17. The Lady Bulldogs tried hard to win their final game of the season but fell in straight sets to Vikings. With this loss, the team ended its season with a final record of 2-15.
“We have a lot of talent and a lot of strengths. It was an adjustment year to a new coaching style and gave us the opportunity to build team chemistry,” junior Emily Ostrowski said.
Looking forward to next season, the team will be losing its four seniors, but there are plenty of underclassmen to fill their shoes for next year. The team plans on training hard in the offseason in order to have a better record next year.
“I feel like we’re going to improve a lot by next season because a majority of our team is going to play club volleyball to gain more experience and learn more about the game,” junior Madison Lewis said.