Season Preview: Volleyball Looking To Bounce Back In 2025
David Creed •
The 2024 fall season was a disappointing year for the Whaler volleyball team. Plenty of change created difficult circumstances including head coach Makaila Lyons being hired just two weeks before preseason action began. It was a challenging situation for Lyons to come in without much time to prepare ahead of the year, but this season she said she is feeling much more comfortable heading into year two and is excited for what the upcoming season could bring.
"Last year was tricky," Lyons said. "I technically didn't know I had the role until just a few days before preseason started, which was obviously really stress inducing for me. The turnover was just fast. It takes time to make a program your own. I was talking to somebody, and I was like I really feel like it's becoming my program. This year it feels like I'm stepping into my program instead of stepping into somebody else's and trying to mesh it together, which I really, really like. It makes me really happy.”
This will be a very young Whaler team with just one senior on the roster – captain and outside hitter Mariana Silva. The other two captains will be junior middle Viktoria Bozhkova and junior outside hitter Julie Pires.
"The energy is really, really good," Lyons said. "The returning varsity players are coming in really, really strong and coming in with a let's have fun and play hard attitude. They said even before the year ended last year that what they want to bring to next season is they want girls to want to come to practice. They want girls to want to play at games. We want them to have fun and not feel afraid to mess up, and they're definitely bringing that. There's so much cheering and energy for each other. A lot of expecting the best of each other but in a really positive way, which is exactly what I want as a coach. I want them to push each other, but not in a way that is harmful to them.”
Lyons said one player who has stood out in preseason has been junior server Bessie Aguilar. She is expecting her to play an important role for the team in the back row.
“She's a really strong server. She's helping out her teammates, helping them improve their serve. She's a strong defensive player," Lyons said. “She's also going to be a junior, but last year she was on varsity but didn't get as much playing time given the roster that we had. I think I'm going to see her in a much bigger role this year.”
One player the Whalers will need to replace is captain Vicky Todorova, who graduated in June after a tremendous high school career as a three-time all-state libero. Lyons said it isn’t possible for one person to fill Todorova’s shoes, and it will be a by-committee approach.
"Oh my goodness, I don't think anybody could fill Vicky's shoes nor would I ever ask anybody to fill her shoes because they're too big," Lyons said. "She was amazing. We miss her so, so much. Every player brings something different and so I wouldn't want anybody to try to be Vicky. I want them to be them and bring their best selves to it. It does leave an opportunity for new players to shine and to try to fill that role defensively, because she just ate everything up on the court. Nobody else had to put in that type of work because she put in so much work. Now it gives other players an opportunity to fill that role collectively.”
The Whalers will begin their regular season Wednesday, September 3rd at home against the Sandwich Blue Knights at 3:30 p.m. You can view the Whaler’s full schedule here.