Tyler Konrad is a student at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism assigned to cover Chaparral High School for AZPreps365.com.

The Chaparral girls volleyball team ended the 2020 season with a 6-12 record and a disappointing ending, losing in the first round of the state playoffs to Basha. It was a challenging year with COVID-19 and many ups and downs with scheduling, safety and building chemistry.

“Last year was very difficult. We were all young, we were developing, we did not have a great dynamic,” junior Brenna Rowland said. “We just could not have one because of COVID-19 and we barely knew each other. Right when practice was over, we had to go home because we needed to be socially distant.”

Junior Kaycee Atkinson described the season as a challenging but needed learning experience for the lowerclassmen at the time.

“I think the team in general was filled with great players and we had a great coach, but it was so hard with COVID-19. It was so hard to build chemistry,” Atkinson said. “I remember one game when the libero was the setter, everyone was playing out of position because we had a ton of players that could not play.”

Entering the 2021 season, head coach Chad Speer looked for a fresh start to the upcoming season. He had the team perform team bonding exercises early on, ensured they practiced often and built chemistry throughout the whole process.

Senior Hailey Brisbane and Atkinson were named co-captains of the Firebirds, as they looked to start this season on the right foot. A big step for Chaparral (19-9 overall, 4-3 6A Desert Valley region) was when they played in the House of Payne Invitational at Chandler High School. They won their first four matches in a row during that tournament on Sept. 3-4.

“I did not realize how talented we were and how good we could be until then,” Rowland said. “I feel like everyone rose up and played so well, that’s when I knew we could be something special. We have so many leaders on this team with Kaycee, Hailey, and all the upperclassmen. That is when I knew we would be special.”

The upperclassmen lead everyone on the team, and each has their specialty. Junior Clare Palin sees competitiveness as Brisbane’s approach to win games.

“She is very straightforward and she lets us know how she feels because it helps us adjust. Her competitiveness shows how much she cares and it helps our team stay driven,” Palin said.

Freshman Lexi King has been a standout player for the Firebirds. Even with 12 of 15 roster spots filled with upperclassmen, King still finds a way to start and she credits that to leadership from her teammates.

“Kaycee is one of the most supporting players on the team. She is there for everyone and tries to motivate us, along with Hailey,” King said. “Brenna is our energizer, when she gets a big kill, everyone on the team is hype and that carries us to wins. Having a sense of leadership on this team really shows how dangerous we can be.”

Even with outstanding leadership with Brisbane, Atkinson and Rowland, the team still thrives off specific components from all the upperclassmen. Rowland credits the team’s success to everyone coming together and accepting their roles.

“Kaycee and Hailey are our captains, Clare and Ally[Coleman] have great volleyball IQ, Maci [Cribbins] has a really powerful swing, Kaeden [Sanstead] and Emma [Gerstner] are so positive and Laine [Maclane Maasen] and Madi [Bengtson] are motivating,” Rowland said.

“Volleyball is a team sport, so the best teams know how to accept their roles and that is why I think we have a legitimate shot to reach all our goals,” said Rowland.

Chaparral has the talent to reach their goal and win the state championship, but their leadership will pull them to the finish line when games get rough.