While the Evanston vs. New Trier rivalry has seen domination from the Trevians in the past decade, the senior class of the girls volleyball team is determined to change that narrative while they still have time.

“This is a game to prove to ourselves that we’ve grown as a team and as individuals, as this is my grade’s final time playing our bitter rivals,” senior Patty Duffy said. “We need to make sure we block out all of the distractions and focus on us, because we are all we got. A win in this game would mean the world to all of us.”

In their previous matchup on Sept. 26 at Beardsley Gym, the Kits came out firing in the first game, but came up short in a 26-24 tiebreaker win for the Trevians. New Trier won the second game by a large margin, sealing their victory on the road.

“One thing we did really well in that game was that we came out with very high energy from the start, and it

seemed to get into their heads,” coach Mallory Thelander said. “Given that this next game is away, we need to focus on having a really good warm up with high energy to start the game off right.”

According to Thelander, the Kits want to incorporate some of their other hitters into the game plan, and to try not to keep the ball on the outside. She said that getting everyone involved on all areas of the court will keep New Trier guessing.

“This will force the blockers on New Trier to really have to think more, and so that will give us more opportunities to be more aggressive offensively,” Thelander said.

In game one, junior Rosemary Gibbons played a huge role in getting the upper hand for Evanston with her dominant play as an outside hitter, where she was able to find openings in the Trevian defense.

“If New Trier were smart, they’d put up a big blocker or two against Rosemary, because she has been one of our

go to hitters. If I were them I would focus on locking her down and making sure she doesn’t get a lot of clean shots,” Thelander said.

As the season is nearing a close, and the seniors play some of their final games with the program, the team views this game as a great opportunity to leave Evanston volleyball with a legacy.

“We are extremely capable of com- ing away with a win, but we must believe in our abilities,” senior Holly Desmond said. “Personally, I want to beat them more than anything since we have failed to do that throughout my entire high school career so far, so a win would be monumental.”

A win would put the Kits in position to win a share of the Conference title, and be a program defining victory against a state powerhouse and archrival. Get out to New Trier next Monday at 6 p.m. to watch an all out battle and a great opportunity for your Wildkit vol- leyball team.