The Whitehall girls volleyball team have put together a strong showing so far this season, and they’re looking to make even more positive strides as they approach the heart of the season.

They entered last week’s against Dieruff at 3-2, defeating the Huskies for a pair of wins, and then rallied against Allen on Monday for their third victory of the year.

Head coach Victoria Bobyak said that they played well in both matches versus the Huskies. They won the first encounter 25-6, 25-9, 25-12, and then followed that with another sweep, winning 25-21, 25-15, 25-5.

Bobyak said that they played with confidence and set the tone early.

“We played our game; we made it work,” she said.

The Huskies made them earn both wins, and the second-year coach liked how they responded.

It was the same spirit that saw them overcome an early setback to the Canaries as Allen took the first set during Monday’s match. She said that having off the previous day may have impacted their start, but she was encouraged by how they bounced back.

“They realized that they had to kick it into gear after that first set,” said Bobyak.

The Zephyrs reeled off wins in the next three sets to earn the victory.

The Emmaus match took a bad turn when second outside hitter Nadia Tarsi left the match with an injury. After playing a spirited second set in which they battled hard against the Hornets who had dropped just one match prior to Monday’s meeting, the Zephyrs were ready to see if they could creep even closer to the Hornets and win a set. Emmaus had won by just five points in that second set and the Zephyrs were looking to extend the match. However, they would have to do it without Tarsi whose injury occurred during the next set. That forced Bobyak to shuffle their lineup, throwing them out of sorts as players moved to unfamiliar positions.

She said they weren’t able to recover and lost to the Hornets, evening their record at 3-3.

Still, Bobyak liked the way they competed against the Hornets.

“They really fought hard,” said Bobyak. “It was one of the best games we played this year.”

She said that when they “get thrown out of sorts,” everybody needs to step up and make things happen. She’s hopeful they’ll respond to the challenge of being thrust into a new position as they’ll have to navigate the rest of the way without their talented hitter. She understands it’s different to play a position they’re not used toad she’s looking for them to make those adjustments. She has a role in that as well.

“You are encouraging them to play at the best of their abilities,” she said.

She also said that Tarsi had a good game against Allen, and now they’ll look to fill that void. They have good options in Haley Bartosh, Bailey Seibert and Emily Kloiber.

She said it’s important for the team to know that this season will be marked by their effort and competitive desire. She wants them to beat the teams that they know they can defeat, and battle as hard as they can against the bigger teams.