“I believe that we will win! I believe that we will win! I believe that we will win!”

The girls’ volleyball team, starting in August, did not realize they had such a long season ahead of them.

“At the beginning of the year I had a few doubts about how the new team would click,” junior Gabby Koehnlein said, “but after the garden spot tournament I knew we were going to have a great season and get really far.”

The team not only won the first-ever Colonial League title by sweeping Notre Dame in three straight sets, but they also won the District XI tournament, and made it to the final four in the PIAA state tournament.

In the District XI tournament, the girls beat Emmaus High School 3-1, enabling the Spartans to move on to the state tournament.

In the first round of states, the team played against Delaware Valley and beat them in three straight sets. With one game down, the girls moved on to the Elite Eight, and were up against Upper Merion. They lost the first game, but stuck together and rallied for a 3-1 victory, making it to the Final Four.

The third-round match against Cumberland Valley started off badly for the Spartans. They went down two sets to none, and it looked like their season was over. To everyone’s surprise, however, Southern Lehigh won the second set, then the third.

It was all tied up and the final game was underway. Cumberland Valley had a strong start, but our girls rallied back and made it a game. They fought but to no avail, losing the final deciding game 15-13.

Captains Melann Amory, Nicolette Yates, Jillian Grammer, and Jenna Forrester were the core of the team, leading in assists, kills, digs, and blocks. This season’s volleyball team was special, not only because of pure talent, but also because of their ability to stick together and boost each other’s morale.

Despite the tragic ending, Gabby Koehnlein still was thrilled with the season.

“We had an awesome season.  I couldn’t be more proud of how well we did,” she said. “I’m going to miss hanging out with everyone everyday. You spend so much time with that one group of girls that you grow so close and they become part of your family.”