The bright lights glistened down on the Red Bird logo at center court, but the eyes of the players shined even brighter. Determined to bring home a championship, the girls varsity volleyball team was fired up as they headed in with their heads held high in the air.

History was made here at Niles West when the girls varsity volleyball team took a trip down state. They played the number one team, Mother Macaulay Liberal Arts High School, on Friday Nov. 11, and proceeded to play Stevenson on Nov. 12 for fourth place.

Sophomore sensation Natalia Pehar is extremely proud to be on such a great team with an amazing group of girls. Despite being an underclassman, she has become a key player and already has colleges scouting her. 

“As a sophomore, it’s a big deal because I never thought I would share this experience at such a young age. It has never been done before in history, which makes it all the more special,” Pehar said. “One of my advantages was my ability to jump, and it has benefited us so much! I’m happy we went to state because now more colleges have seemed to have more of an interest in me, and I am forever grateful.”

Senior Bethany Keith credits the team’s historical season to the immense practices and hard work that each and every member put in. Their determination and the support they had from each other ultimately led them to State.

“At the beginning of the season we set many goals and surpassed them. When we won the super sectional game, my team and I were ecstatic knowing that all of our hard work had payed off. It is an incredible feeling that I wish every athlete could experience themselves,” Keith said. “What made this team different from any other was the desire to win. We gave our all, whether it was at practice or a game, and never gave up. Even after making it to state, we still wanted more. Our will to go on and fight is what truly made a difference. We also supported each other tremendously, and everyone had each other’s back no matter what.”

Senior Eleni Balourdos, who has been on varsity ever since she was a freshman, was very emotional about this game. The goals in the beginning of the season were simple: beat the school record of 26-9. Of course, the girls managed to do more than that, surprising themselves and the entire school.

“Making history and making it to state was an unreal feeling, and I am still in shock. We joked around in the beginning of the season about “going to state” and we always talked ourselves up but we didn’t know how good we actually were. Throughout the season, when we were on a 16 streak win, we were like, “Hey, we’re actually pretty good and we can do this, we can beat some school records!” So we made the goal of beating the school record which was 26-9, and winning a sectional, because those 2 things have never been done before,” Balourdos said. “We beat those 2 records and added 2 more of winning a super sectional and being the only team ever to set foot on a state arena. Knowing that we broke so many records and played with so much heart and determination to get there makes me so proud of my team.”

There are several factors that make West’s team so different. Despite the fact only a few players are part of club volleyball and no one is a D1 commit, the team has made great strides due to their love for one another. Balourdos credits the team’s victories to the motivation that the players bring out in one another.

“I would also say that this team is different because we genuinely love each other and play for each other. We’ve had refs come up to our coaches after games asking if we’re ‘always really that supportive and if we always really motivate each other like that.’ This team is different because we’ve won games when we were losing 16-22 and 20-24 in the sectional and super sectional championship, which is pretty unheard of,” Balourdos said. “There were so many times after games where we’ve cried because of how proud of each other we were, and I would say this team is different because we played with so much heart and never gave up on each other no matter the circumstances.”

This has been a great season for the girls volleyball team, and history has been made here at Niles West. Be sure to congratulate the girls on their wins and for changing the face of the volleyball program as we know it.