With a new-look roster and a new role to embrace, Sydney Soukup is ready to help guide Ellsworth High School volleyball into another successful season.
The Bluebirds return after making a trip to the state tournament last season, but they will have to replace a strong senior class. Soukup is the team’s lone senior this season, putting her in position to take on a larger leadership role.
“I’m most excited to see what this new group can accomplish together,” Soukup said. “We lost a really strong senior class, so there are definitely some big shoes to fill, but we also have a talented junior class that I’m really excited about.”
Soukup said she is looking forward to helping the younger players develop and gain confidence as the season progresses.
“Being the only senior this year, I’m looking forward to stepping into a bigger leadership role and helping the younger girls grow and gain confidence,” she said.
Soukup spent the offseason playing club volleyball, giving her opportunities to continue developing her skills and competing at a high level. She also trained with her mother to work on different areas of her game.
Ellsworth also held a week of team workouts before the start of the season, helping the players prepare physically and reconnect as a group.
While Soukup has focused on improving her skills, she also identified leadership and communication as areas she wants to strengthen this season.
“One area I want to improve on this year is being a stronger leader and communicator on the court,” Soukup said. “With me being the only senior, I know I have a bigger role in helping lead our team.”
Her experience playing club volleyball during the offseason helped Soukup work on those areas while continuing to develop as a player.
“During the offseason, I worked on this through club volleyball which gave me opportunities to improve not only my skills but also my communication and confidence on the court,” she said.
Soukup’s individual goals center on consistency, communication and leadership. She wants to continue improving while helping her teammates feel confident on the court.
For Ellsworth, building team chemistry will be just as important as individual development after losing a large senior class.
“As a team, I want us to build a stronger bond and become closer both on and off the court,” Soukup said. “We lost a big senior class, so creating that team chemistry will be really important for us.”
The Bluebirds hope that chemistry can help them make another postseason run. After reaching state last season, Soukup wants the team to build on that experience and find out how far this group can go.
“Ultimately, our goal is to build off last season’s success, make it back to state, and see how far we can go together,” Soukup said.
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