Imagine a sport that requires tremendous focus, teamwork, and mental strength. One that can be daunting to beginners and demanding for experts yet worthwhile for all those who participate. Although you may not think of it, women’s volleyball exhibits all these traits.

In the past, volleyball has struggled to gain traction at R.J. Reynolds High School. The team’s success has ebbed and flowed through the years, but they have never quite reached the caliber the program aims for.

This season’s team was looking for more; they wanted to defy the expectations.

“I wanted to do the best we could,” senior team captain Millie Powers said. “I didn’t want us to play into the preset idea that Reynolds volleyball is bad.”

To accomplish this goal, coach Cecil Morris and the team captains strived to create an environment conducive to achievement. Morris emphasized the importance of attitude in this environment, not just players’ skills.

“Skill is always great,” Morris said, “but skill with the wrong attitude is just a waste of time. I’d much rather have girls that come in with a good attitude and less skill, but they are willing to learn.”

The players took this message to heart. Even after losing multiple skilled seniors at the end of last season, they came in this year with open minds and positive attitudes.

“I was really excited for our team to grow,” senior Zora Yap said. “I knew that we had so much potential.”

As the season progressed, this mindset generated a thriving group dynamic. The Demons remained confident even in the face of teams with more experienced players or more resources. According to Morris, this was a contrast to the 2022 season.

“Last year’s team, in my opinion, was more skilled,” Morris said, “but this year’s team had more cohesion, more belief in one another, and more fight. Last year, we still didn’t believe that we could actually win games, whereas this year’s group believed when they stepped on the court. It didn’t matter who we played; we felt like we could win.”

And they did win. This year, Reynolds volleyball had its first-ever winning season since the team first hit the court in the 1970s. Their record was 12-11.

One of the key games for this achievement was senior night against Mount Tabor. The pressure for a win was high, and emotions soared as the seniors celebrated their high school volleyball careers. However, the start of the game did not go as planned. The team came out and lost the first two sets. While most teams would give in, these players would not back down.

“We could have just lost the whole game,” Yap said, “but we came back the last three sets, and we won, so that was a huge achievement for our team. It was a really big deal.”

When the Demons played Reagan, one of the top teams in North Carolina, this fighting spirit shone through as well.

“We were the first team in the conference to get twenty points on Reagan,” Yap said.

This accomplishment displayed the team’s ability and proved their merit as a highly competitive opponent. Simultaneously, it confirmed the girls’ beliefs that they could succeed.

“When we were able to get that many points,” team captain Victoria Stabolitis said, “I think we gained confidence in ourselves.”

This confidence built throughout the season, and Morris believes it was instrumental in the team’s success.

“This year’s team, as far as just being a core group together and believing in one another, they were a very strong unit,” Morris said. “I think that’s what carried us over the hump, just their belief in one another and knowing that they could count on each other.”

Once the regular season ended, RJR volleyball was invited to the first round of the state playoffs. This level of competition has yet to be reached by the program since 2017.

“It was definitely a surprise, but I was excited,” Stabolitis said. “In senior year, that’s a fun last thing to do, especially because we hadn’t done that before.”

Although they lost to Northern Guilford in the first round, the team hopes to go up from there in the coming years. Making it to the playoffs is a big stepping stone to greater achievement as a team.

“I think it’s good for our program, especially for people coming into Reynolds,” Stabolitis said.

With this year’s progress to jump off of, the future of Reynolds volleyball is bright. The team is just now scratching the surface of what is to come.