After making it to the Class L semifinals in 2018, the Bristol Eastern High girls volleyball team came into this year with a new, but familiar face on the sidelines. After spending last season as the head coach at Oxford, Stefanie Reay returned to Bristol Eastern where she spent 2014-17 as an assistant coach.
Getting a new coach in any sport is an adjustment so the familiar face was a boost for Bristol Eastern.
“While it was obviously different because we found out we had a new coach, it was a little nerve wracking,” said junior hitter Zoe Lowe. “Once we found out it was Coach Reay we were all like we got this. We know her. We know we can do this.”
Reay is well aware of the team’s high expectations coming off a successful season in which the Lancers went 15-2, were seeded fourth in the Class L tournament and advanced to the semifinals.
“I think the big thing I’m trying to instill in them this year is that they have control over what goes on in the game at every point and it’s just a matter of them being able to reset their thinking and say ‘next ball, next point,’ and focus on what’s important in the following point, the following touch,” Reay said. “So, being able to do that is going to let them reset in times that can be rocky and would hold us back.”
So far this season, they haven’t skipped a beat. The Lancers are 11-0 and dominating the competition, having lost only three game this year, one to Avon and two to Bristol Central.
“We focus on what’s important now, so we try to not look too far into the future,” said senior captain, Rebecca Bender. “We focus on the next game, and what we have to do to win and how we are going to move on after that.”
The idea of “next ball” is one that Reay has been trying to instill in her team since day one.
“When we dwell on the past, it only spirals out into more point losses, so we just kind of tell everyone next ball, that’s our thing and then we focus getting the next pass up and putting it down,” said Bender. “I like to focus on the positive and forget about any negative mistakes.”
“They really started to understand the importance and the impact of letting one error get in their head and causing it to roll into multiple errors,” said Reay.
Along with bringing the “next ball” mentality, Reay is also changing how the Lancers serve.
“Coach wanted all of us to jump serve this year, and I think it’s obviously been very effective. We continue to grow and our serving just keeps getting better and better,” said Lowe
The stats don’t lie. So far, Lowe has 30 aces and as a team the Lancers have 131.
“We all just want the same thing. We want to succeed and move far in the season, but obviously we’re pushing ourselves to get there,” said junior setter Leah Chipman.
