What’s better than the SLUH 2022 varsity volleyball team? Well, not much—but the JV team comes pretty close. In varsity’s shadow, JV squashed their competitors in a successful season and now prepares to take the varsity team by storm next year. 

Led by coaches Travis Meyer and Claire Hennessey, the Jr. Bills closed out their season this year with a record of 16-1. It began all the way back in February, with tryouts for all three teams. The coaching staff formed a JV team of 12, including three freshmen. Although freshmen normally don’t make the JV team, Michael Patrick, Luke Schall, and Henry Benson did make the cut, thanks to plenty of experience with club volleyball and SLUH’s coaches.

“It felt really rewarding to JV as a freshman because of how hard I’ve trained at my position,” said freshman libero Benson. “It was a great affirmation that the coaches noticed my skills and decided I would be a good fit for JV.

The season began on a rough start. Despite winning their first game against Lutheran St. Charles, the team subsequently suffered a loss against Belleville East. 

However, as the season progressed and the players entrenched themselves in fine-tuning their skills at practice, they also began to work better as a team. The group got to know each other well, and the results became apparent on the court.

“We had pretty good chemistry,” explained sophomore Jacob Frame. “We all bonded really well and worked well together. We can pull each other out of a hard situation, and just get right back up and pull away from the tight games.”

After this early loss, the team had a perfect record and plowed through every other area team. This included the Vianney Griffins, an iconic rival of SLUH in the St. Louis volleyball scene. Despite their doubts, JV followed in Varsity’s footsteps and defeated Vianney—not once, but twice. At Vianney’s own court, they won two sets in a row.

“SLUH versus Vianney is always a big game for us,” said Frame. “I think that's when we really show how hard we work and when we're really put to the biggest challenge. And that brings out the best in us as a team, both mentally and physically.”

Despite their postseason MCC championship being canceled, the team looks back on an excellent season and prepares to fill big shoes next year on varsity.

“Honestly, I think we exceeded our goal this season,” said Frame. “We made a ton of practice and a ton of improvement for practices and games. We’ve definitely improved all together, especially with our mentality. We really started to appreciate each other and everyone on the court and try and play our hardest, even if we're not starters or we get benched. We try our hardest and cheer teammates on.”