The Raptor Volleyball team hopes to build off yet another successful season last year. The team did lose a couple key seniors last season but a larger Senior class this year looks to prove themselves stronger. The team does face fierce competition in the region against rival teams such as Bishop England and Oceanside but team leaders are confident in their ability to beat these teams. To learn a bit more about the team and the upcoming season I interviewed two senior leaders on the team: Suzanna Carlsten and Lauren Faust.

When asked about their favorite team traditions both players agreed on Secret Sister. Lauren says “I like that I can start my day with a nice little drink and snack but I never know what to expect.” Suzanna, also a fan, says “I also really love Secret Sister but I hate it when people steal my snacks in transport. But overall, it’s great for team bonding.” 

A pregame routine is key for getting into the mindset for success and players often have about an hour or two before warmups start. The first question about their routine concerned their go-to pregame meal. Lauren says her go-to is “…a steak burrito bowl and a lemonade from Chipotle. I would say it’s a 10/10 for sure but it pushes an 11 if I splurge on chips.” Suzanna also likes to head to Tanger for her pregame meal, saying “I go with a Chick-Fil-A Spicy Southwest Salad with Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing and a Sun Joy, if I’m feeling absolutely ravenous a small vanilla ice cream. It is 11/10 for sure.” Another essential part of their pregame habits that they attribute to their success is the team playlist. Suzanna says her favorite song on the playlist is “Lip Gloss” by Lil Mama and furthers that she even created a team dance to this song. Lauren, on the other hand, says she likes all the songs but one: “Gassed Up” by Nebu Kiniza. She would like to go on record that she “really, really hates this song.” 

Everyone knows that practice makes perfect but these two players had interesting takes on their favorite part of practice. Lauren says her favorite part is “making the freshman take the nets down so I don’t have to.” Suzanna, on a similar note, simply says her favorite part of practice is “the end.” These responses make me wonder what tortuous drills Coach Koll has crafted for her players. 

The team is a big believer in the fact that home support plays a key factor in helping their performance so I asked which games are most important for fans to pack the Bird Cage for. Both of them agree that they need fan support for their region rivals: Oceanside and Bishop England. They are both optimistic on their odds due to their performance in their recent tournament. 

The Raptors are 3-4 at the moment including wins against Summerville, Berkeley, and Ashley Hall. They also wanted it to be mentioned that they took a set against Lucy Beckham. Lauren predicts the team record to be 10-7 because “we are always in really close games that are back and forth.” Suzanna is a little bit less optimistic predicting a record of 8-9. Both players agree that they will advance to the second or third round of the playoffs but complain that “those games are always really far in the middle of nowhere.” Let’s hope that the team can exceed these expectations and be sure to catch a game or two this season!

Remaining Schedule:

09/12 Home vs Timberland

09/14 Away at Oceanside

09/20 Away at Porter Gaud

09/21 Home vs Lake Marion (SENIOR NIGHT)

09/26 Away at Bishop England

09/28 Away at Timberland

10/03 Home vs Oceanside

10/10 Away at Lake Marion

10/12 Home vs Bishop England