This year, the girls volleyball season was a rollercoaster–seeing many new faces and going to battle in every conference game. Although the girls faced many obstacles this season, they were able to come out with a 21-12-4 record and saw many team accomplishments.

  After graduating six seniors last year, there were a lot of spots to be filled. The team saw a lot of underclassmen who took the opportunity to step up, such as sophomores Nia Harris and Kasey Weeks who were key hitters for the Golden Warriors this year.

  “Playing varsity as a sophomore was super exciting, but was definitely an adjustment. Being with older and more experienced girls was a challenge at times, but my teammates were always there to support me and I was able to get comfortable playing varsity very quickly,” said Harris.

  Accordingly, junior Alasia Harris was another primary player for the team, along with juniors Mya Lira and Alivia Gibson who also saw the floor defensively. Many changes were made as the season went on, but in the end the Warriors were able to find their groove.

  Sterling’s seniors played a big part when it came to finding the team’s lineup. Seniors Carley Sullivan and Delali Amankwa were team captains, showing leadership while playing all six rotations for the Warriors. Suitibly, two-year varsity libero Macy Anderson was a consistent passer for the team, along with middle hitters Marley Sechrest and Natalie Eddinger. Sullivan was the team’s powerhouse, ending off with 264 total season kills, followed by N.Harris and Sechrest with 136 and 105.

  Returning seniors were in no curiosity of the toughness of conference, as they knew these matches were going to be a battle. Last year the Golden Warriors finished second in conference and upsetted many teams, so the girls knew they were going into the current season with a target on their back.

  “It’s really fun and competitive. You’re always guaranteed to be playing a solid team in this conference.” said Sullivan.

  The girls were fifty-fifty this year, finishing 7-7 in conference. Nevertheless, the girls fought hard with many of these matches being three setters, coming down to the last few points. Junior Varsity and Freshman volleyball teams also had a sufficient year, with Freshman finishing 16-10-2 and Junior Varsity at 17-8-2.

  Volleyball also faced hardship this year, with injury and illness knocking out key players at the worst moments. For instance, six-rotation-player A. Harris faced some knee issues, preventing her from playing for three and a half weeks. Accordingly, six-rotation-player Sullivan fell victim to illness the day before the girls faced conference-rival Moline.

   However, with some athletes being taken out due to unlucky circumstances, this did open up opportunities for other reserve players, such as senior Payton Ottens who filled the role of A. Harris. Ottens was able to find her game flow easily, performing adequately for the Warriors. She even became a clutch player in some moments, such as when the Warriors were versus Rock Island at home, where she provided the team with a ten point service run containing seven aces to bring Sterling back up for the win.

  Despite these obstacles, the Golden Warriors also had a multitude of achievements this year. The girls performed well in many tournaments, taking second place at their own Sterling Invite, and getting crowned first overall in the Reed-Custer Invite with a 3-0-2 tournament record.

  Furthermore, four-year varsity setter Amankwa broke the all-time assist record, previously held by Bree Borum who graduated in 2020 and sat at 2,091 assists. Amankwa finished the season with 2,141 assists which now holds the record. Along with this, many players this year were recognized for their exceptional conference game performances, with Amankwa making first team all-conference, Sullivan on second team all-conference, and both Anderson and Weeks getting Honorable Mention. All eight of Sterlings seniors were honored as all-academic conference, a recognition that requires athletes to maintain above a 3.25 GPA throughout the season with no discipline referrals.

  In the end, the Golden Warriors had a successful season, finishing 21-12-4 with many individual and team achievements. The girls graduated eight seniors this year and have another expected reconstruction of the team dynamic for the 2025 season. Many of the remaining players plan to participate in club volleyball through “Net Force” to continue growing as volleyball players and will have opportunities for off-season lifting and summer league to further prepare for next season.