After what has been an up and down first half of the season, King Philip volleyball head coach Kristen Geuss believes her team still has its best volleyball ahead of it.

Coming into the season, Geuss knew this team was a young group. "We have a young team with only three seniors and have been working each day to get better," Geuss said.

The roster also looks different than it usually does. "We've normally had a more even mix of grade levels represented on our teams," Geuss explained. "We lost nine seniors to graduation and have had to really focus on preparing the younger players to make meaningful contributions. This has been a work in progress, but we are getting better."

Senior Amie O'Neil, the team's only returning senior and a captain, has led the way by stepping into the outside hitting position. Junior captain Charlotte Bailey, a returning varsity setter, suffered a season-ending injury but is providing leadership from the sidelines.

The rest of the roster, as Geuss described it: junior Mia Keays, also a captain, anchors the back row as the libero. Juniors Molly Sweeney and Nora O'Brien are returning varsity players who, in Geuss's words, "are dominating at the net." Senior Lexi Gebhard is strong as a right side hitter, while junior Lily Richard and sophomore Karlie DiFiore run the offense as setters. Senior Sophia Uriarte is a defensive specialist, along with juniors Isla Robinson, Hailey Dalton and Jackie Chorney.

Finding the right combination took time. "We've experimented with several different lineups and I believe we are finally at the point where we have positioned our players in the spots where they can maximize their contributions," Geuss said.

Despite the ups and downs, Geuss is extremely proud of how far the team has come. "We've come a long way since the beginning of the season and have recently been playing some of our best volleyball despite incurring losses to very strong squads," she said.

To keep a young team focused, Geuss pointed to two things. "We've endeavored to break the season into manageable blocks while emphasizing daily effort over final outcomes," she said. "We've also sought to build a strong, player-led culture."

The captains have helped model that culture. Two of the three are juniors, and Geuss said they are "continuing to grow into their roles." O'Neil, Bailey and Keays have all done "a nice job of modeling the culture and behaviors that we want to instill in the KP Volleyball program," she said.

She also wants the leadership to reach beyond the captains. "We continue to emphasize that everyone can lead in their own unique way whether they have the captain's title or not," Geuss said.

If the team makes the tournament, Geuss said she hopes to see "a group of dedicated hard working players playing up to their potential. Their best volleyball has not been played yet."

Whatever happens, she wants her players to take something with them. "I would hope that the players would take away some learnings that will help them later on in life," Geuss said. "The old adage that you only get out of something what you put into it is one that comes to mind. Are you working hard in the offseason, are you conditioning and do you have a burning desire to win are all essential ingredients to personal and team success."