See, in sports, unsuccessful teams stay put; they stay constant, closed-minded, and passionless. Ultimately, making the ceiling for success low. So what’s the difference between a successful team and an unsuccessful team, you may ask? What are the contrasts? It’s simple: growth. The blueprint for a successful team is always improving and learning from a mistake. Getting an Ace after missing your last serve, digging a spike after not being in the right spot, being coachable on blocking techniques after missing a deflection, communicating with teammates and coaches after a mental error, breaking down the mistakes, and strategizing after a loss.
That’s growth, and that’s what this 2024-2025 ETHS Girls Varsity Volleyball team is. Growth.
Last season (2023-2024), the ETHS Girls Varsity Volleyball team collected four wins throughout the course of the year, landing them at (4-30, 0-10 CSL) for the season.
As the year went on, an opportunity showed itself in the girl’s volleyball program: a varsity head coach position. And there, Mike McDermott was, making the most of the chance, naming him the Head Coach for the ETHS Girls Varsity Volleyball team.
“ETHS has such an opportunity to have strong female sports teams. Not just individual athletes, but sports teams. I feel like volleyball should be one of those. And I’m excited to be helping, trying to take that to the next level,” said McDermott.
Before the position grab, Coach McDermott had been assistant coaching for the girls’ team for several years and head coach for the boys’ varsity volleyball team. But this role was a little different and a lot more special.
“Going to work is my favorite thing to do every day. I can’t wait to get to the gym and work with these kids; they are so great,” said McDermott. “They give such positive feedback. I used to be the boys’s [volleyball] head coach, but this is so much different. The positivity and seeing the results on the court are so amazing because these kids work as hard as they can. They throw their hearts in everything they do, and you see they want to get better.”
The Kits faced Loyola in a playoff matchup on Thursday, Oct. 31 at 6:00 pm, falling in two sets in the Regional Final 12-25, 9-25. Concluding their season with an improving record of (14-23, 0-10 CSL)
“We played them early in the season; I think we caught them off guard. We played them real tough, and they’re a lot better now; we’re a lot better too,” said McDermott.
As the road comes to an end for the seniors,
“I hurt with them when I see them not do well or when I see them frustrated. And you know I’m feeling in front of them right now, that this is the senior’s last game, and it’s tough because all of these kids have played so much volleyball,” McDermott stated.
The road to success is just starting to begin for the ETHS Girls Varsity Volleyball program.
“The lesson learned from these girls is if you have the right attitude, you can grow as a team and get better and even play beyond your skill level.” voiced McDermott
