New Roster, Same Success: Girls Volleyball on Their Way Towards Another ISL Trophy
By Asa Straus ‘25
With the season approaching the halfway mark, Milton Academy’s Girls' Volleyball team is on pace for another impressive season following their Independent School League (ISL) championship last season. Milton’s dynamics and strategies have improved and will continue to improve with the addition of many new players. So far this season, Milton has only lost one game to a challenging Groton School squad.
Under the leadership of Georgia Isaac ‘25, Cate Howley ‘25, and Katelyn Xue ‘26, the team has started the season 4-1 in ISL play and recently secured third place in the ISL standings. Issac, a senior captain from Newton, states that the team is “super young, with a lot of potential,” making for a challenging yet rewarding season thus far. Isaac has been the captain since sophomore year and has played a crucial role in developing the younger players.
Manager Victoria Jones ‘25 states that “the team is looking sharp, but will need to keep communicating consistently throughout the season.” It comes as no surprise that with the loss of seven seniors, the team will have some ground to cover. Even so, the team might not be far off from a repeat championship, winning multiple of their games as shutouts. Co-manager Chloe Yeo ‘26 believes that “while the team has faced some tough losses (0-3) at Deerfield and Groton, each lost game picked up in the third set compared to the first set. Without last year’s seniors, the team needs to forge its own routine to bring the energy starting from the first set. Coach Tori often asks if the team deserves to win games. Just from watching them, I can tell they want to say yes to that question every time.”
Buckingham Browne and Nichols School (BB&N) and Lawrence Academy claimed the top two ISL spots. Milton will have to continue with their pace but should expect a close finish to the season in November. So far this season, Milton has played the most ISL games out of every team and has only nine more games until the season is over. The key to doing well in the final games is, according to CC Christiano ‘25, to not be “too hard on ourselves, and keep pushing towards our goal.”
Many expectations exist around the team to secure back-to-back ISL champions, yet the inevitable competitiveness of the team will provide everyone with the motivation and the support they need to constitute through what is and will be a demanding rest of the season ahead. Because he team has already played 17 games, the most out of every team in the ISL, injuries will surely have an impact on the team as they move towards their goal of reaching the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) playoffs.
Even though it is easy to be complacent with a championship season last year, it is no surprise at all that the captains and coaches will ask more of this talented squad. The final stretch of the season will prove tough for the team. The team's final season match against Nobles on November 9th could very much be the deciding factor in whether or not the Mustangs will be once again celebrating a championship.