Tradition, pride, and excellence stand as Warsaw staple points within the district motto. While Warsaw’s volleyball team may take pride in their excellence, little may be known about their traditions. Within each player lies some form of pre-game ritual not widely known to others.

  Volleyball coach Shelly Hodges has a few traditions she implements for the sake of her team, one being that each year she picks a motto for her players to look up to.

  “I picked ‘Our Time’ because it was the first time my seniors stayed through with it and they wanted to go out with a bang,” Hodges said.

  Another tradition that coach Hodges has implemented is the leadership ball.

“The leadership ball is voted on by the team, for whoever had the most leadership during the game. We have done it every year since I’ve been here,” Hodges said.

  Some traditions lay hidden in each individual player. Senior varsity setter Jessie Glenn has played volleyball since seventh grade. Before every game, she plays practice games with her teammates, kicks the wall, and yells “good game.”

  After every game, Glenn makes a point to stay in the locker room and think about what she did during the game, as well as how she can improve.

  Freshman JV player Taylar Kleihauer has played volleyball since third grade. Her pre-game ritual consists of getting together with the other players and saying a group prayer.

  “It was always in my head, it was just normal,” Kleihauer said.

  Freshman JV player Sarah Johnson has also played volleyball since the third grade. Her pre-game ritual is bumping the ball with her teammates, and they try to keep it off the floor.

  “It just gets me ready for the game. It hypes me up it makes me look forward to what’s happening,” Kleihauer said.

  Her after-game ritual consists of sitting in the locker room with her team, where they decide who deserves the ‘Leadership Ball.’ Whoever earns it gets to write a saying on the ball.

  “I have not received the leadership ball yet, but I would like to. I would feel like I did the best I could have and it would make me try harder to get it again,” Kleihauer said.