For senior Ayla DeCrescenzo, being a captain isn’t just being a good role model. To her, it means that she can be the most dependable on the court when her teammates are feeling defeated. DeCrescenzo’s goal this season is to “make coming to practice and going to games fun.” 

“When I was younger I wouldn’t be able to stay positive when not performing to the best of my ability,” said DeCrescenzo. “But I surprised myself in my ability to stay positive.”

Playing Volleyball here at Woodland, isn’t just a place to play a sport that you love. It’s a place where you can grow not just as an athlete but an individual.

“Losing all of our seniors wasn’t easy last year, especially because those seniors were basically our whole team.” This year, her team emphasizes team bonding; being closer together means being able to trust one another, especially on the court. 

Being closer together is only one piece of the puzzle. “In order to win games and eventually championships we are gonna need to go game by game,” said DeCrescenzo.

Aside from all of her captain duties, she likes to have fun right before her game. “My pregame ritual is drinking Body Armor before every game,” said DeCrescenzo. “I normally go out into the hall with a couple of the girls and stretch while listening to music. After that, a little before we go out as a team, we all come together and go into a circle and take a deep breath while being together and taking a minute of silence to really focus and lock in.”

DeCrescenzo has many favorite memories throughout her years playing volleyball. “Our bus rides aren’t boring and silent; we are blasting music and singing our hearts out. The amount of laughs I’ve had while being on the bus with those girls is unimaginable.”

As the years have gone by, the Woodland Hawks Girls Volleyball team has been collecting a big roster of underclassmen–Abigail Gallo, Leila Sheetz, Madeline Montini, Lilly DeGennaro– so they can grow and become the best of the best when it comes time for them to shine for their senior year.

DeCrescenzo stated that Sheetz really took a step up her freshman year having the opportunity to play starting libero on varsity. She also stated that Abigail Gallo is filling the role of being setter on varsity, after three-year varsity setter, alumni Hannah Mishler.

 “We have a very strong sophomore class this year and I don’t think any team is ready for that. We are going to take advantage of other teams doubting us.”