The Paul VI High School girls volleyball team celebrates the clinching point in a straight-sets victory over Camden Catholic on Oct. 18. (Mark Zimmaro)
With renovations underway on the gymnasium floor, the Paul VI High School girls volleyball team has been without a home court for most of the season.
As such, the Eagles’ schedule was filled with road games, which meant more frequent bus rides, but also more time for bonding. Their first 19 games of the season were held in opposition gyms. The Eagles didn’t seem to mind.
“It’s really tiring doing all that extra traveling,” senior Sadie Arasim said. “But I feel like having something that we’ve all gone through together helped build team spirit.”
As the odometer continued to spin, the wins kept piling up. Paul VI went 17-2 in those 19 consecutive road contests and ended up in the driver’s seat with a perfect 5-0 record in the Olympic Conference Patriot Division. The Eagles finished the job by clinching the divisional crown Oct. 20 and were 21-2 heading into the final week of the regular season.
“I feel like we’ve been really resilient, taking it one game at a time and trying to make good runs – whether it’s at home or on the road – and showing how strong of a team we are,” junior Zharia Harris-Waddy said. “It definitely makes our team bonding stronger.”
Success is nothing new to the program, which went 11-2 in an abbreviated season last year and led to the team winning the South Non-Public A championship. The Eagles have strung together 11 straight winning seasons and earned Coach Dan Chung his 100th win Oct. 19 against Seneca – less than seven full seasons into his tenure.
But this season might be considered the team’s greatest challenge. Not only was the match schedule adjusted during the gym floor renovations, but practices were also held remotely at the JSFNJ Building in Cherry Hill.
“We’ve been fortunate enough that we got to use the JFSNJ facility,” Chung said. “It’s been good, but we’re glad to be back here with a home court.”
On Oct. 14, Father Dexter Nebrida, the school’s director of Catholic Identity, blessed the new floor, with cheerleaders and student-athletes looking on as Principal Sister Marianne McCann, M.P.F., acted as the official ribbon-cutter.
Arasim said she was excited to play on the new floor. “It’s cool to be starting fresh. It gives us encouragement to finish off the season well.”
Later that day, Paul VI hosted its first game on its new floor and made the most of it with a 2-0 win over Pennsauken Tech. They followed it with an energetic home win over rival Camden Catholic in a noisy, crowded gym. It’s something that’s been missing for the last two seasons as no fans were permitted to attend last season’s matches during the pandemic.
“We had to make our own energy,” Arasim explained. “On days that we’re tired, it was a little harder. But it’s great to be playing in front of our fans again.”
A string of home dates to close out the season should provide some extra energy at just the right time as Paul VI prepares for the playoffs.
“The kids obviously needed this more than anything,” Chung said. “I think we’ve been pretty resilient with the whole situation, traveling every day for about a month and a half.”
And it gave Arasim an opportunity to have a special night in her home gym. Arasim is the lone senior on the team and was honored at Senior Night on Oct. 21. Although older than her teammates, Arasim says she feels like she fits right in.
Extra bonding time on the bus might have contributed.
“I’m so close with the juniors so I really don’t notice, but senior night can be a little lonely,” Arasim said with a laugh. “This is the best team as far as chemistry in the four years that I’ve been here. We’ve all known each other since sixth grade, so we’re all pretty close.”