The Irish volleyball team is stepping up to a whole new challenge this year. After taking third place in the 5A state tournament last year, the squad graduated 7 seniors, leaving a large void to fill this year. 

“The team looks completely different than last year,” head coach Kelli Miller said.

To add to the complications of restructuring the squad, at the end of the school year, players and coaches received word from the OSSAA that they would be moved up to 6A. This surprise not only affected their state chances, but also the schedule they had laid out for this season.

“We’re not in a conference and we make our schedules the year before and we call schools to set up games,” senior captain Elsie Offiah said. “We got moved to 6A, randomly, after we had made our schedule for this year, so what we did is we called 6A teams, about four or five, and then we will go to 6A regionals at the end of the year.” 

The combination of the bump to 6A and the loss of key starters, meant that expectations were widely lowered, going from state contender to a 6A underdog. But that underdog mentality may have just been the exact spark this team needed

“One thing that has significantly improved is the mental state of our team. Last year if we lost two sets we’d for sure lose the third. A little more motivation,” Offiah said.

With the first month and a half of the season under its belt, the team is 4-0 in 6A games, even knocking off highly ranked opponents like Deer Creek and Westmoore. The team’s one loss on the season came at the hands of Victory Christian, the 5A state champions last year. Another factor in this year’s success, improvement of two key sophomores.

“I would say Grace Smallwood has definitely stepped up and has become a vocal leader on the court to the girls, and Rachel Tate has improved a bunch on her skills and has brought a whole new offensive weapon to the team,” senior captain Dylan Sokolvsky said.

Junior Kirby Johnson has also taken the court by storm this year, stepping up to replace some of the most powerful hitters from last year, and even garnering MVP honors from the Carl Albert Tournament.

“Kirby has the confidence that she’s one of the best hitters now, and that kind of lit her on fire,” Miller said.

Miller suggests that with the emergence of new, talented players this year, the leadership from senior captains, and the underdog spirit that gives this team its fire, the Irish are poised to hit their mark, being a tough matchup for any school they play, no matter the size.

Miller, in her first year as head coach after her mom passed her the baton, agreed “This team is definitely an underdog team. This team, because they’re a little underestimated, has a little more fight in them.”