The University Academy Upper School volleyball team has started the season with a 14–4 record, showing steady improvement in every match.
Head coach Tiara Webb and assistant coach Daniela Torres have led the Lady Gryphons to a strong start, with junior Nyla Ballew serving as team captain.
The varsity team is made up of mostly older girls, with three seniors, two juniors, two freshmen and one sophomore. On the other hand, junior varsity is made up primarily of freshmen, with several juniors also on the squad.
Coach Webb said the season has been productive so far.
“Coaching this season has been both exciting and rewarding,” she said.
She said the players are putting in hard work and growing every week. She really loves to see it play out, and she said team chemistry has been a big part of their success.
“The players support one another, hold each other accountable and bring a lot of positive energy to the court,” she said.
Ballew said the team has been able to grow closer while also competing hard. She said the players are having fun on and off the court and are getting stronger each day.
The Lady Gryphons have earned three top-three finishes in tournaments at Van Horn High School, Grandview High School and HyVee Arena. They finished second at the Van Horn tournament, and the team earned first place in their bracket at HyVee.
Ballew said the team has been proud of its performances.
“Our tournaments are going well so far,” Ballew said. “The outcome of each tournament has been us in the championship games, which is a flex.”
UA has also continued its rivalry with Lincoln College Preparatory Academy, which was a hard fought match resulting in a loss. Players said the competitive energy in this match pushed them to play their best.
Ballew enjoys the challenge of rivalry games.
“What I love about rivalry games is the competitiveness on both teams,” she said. “It fires me up that they want to beat us just as badly as we want to beat them. That makes me want to go 10 times harder.”
She said she especially loves UA’s volleyball rivalry with Van Horn. The Lady Gryphons won in the teams’ first meeting on Sept. 25 at Van Horn. They will face them again on Oct. 7 at UA at 5 p.m.
Coach Webb agreed that rivalry games are where the team’s effort is shown most.
“The games always bring out the best in the team, and those are the ones I’m most excited to see them rise to the occasion,” she said.
Looking ahead, Coach Webb said she is excited to see how the team keeps growing.
“I’m really looking forward to continuing to see how much the team continues to develop and grow together throughout the rest of the season,” she said. “Watching the players gain confidence, strengthen their skills and compete at a higher level is always one of the best parts of the year.”
The Lady Gryphons hope to keep building on their progress as the season continues.
