The EHHS girls volleyball team had a successful 2025 season. After having a difficult past few seasons, and getting a new head coach this season, the girls made it to states. With a strong start to their season, the momentum kept them going.
As one of the team’s most experienced players, Captain Eve Backhaus reflected on how much has changed since her first season. She knows that this success didn’t come easy, “It’s been four long years of grinding and you know, we’ve been having a tough time. We haven’t made the playoffs in a while, but this year, we put in a lot of work. We worked on and off the court, you know, fostering our relationships to make sure that that translates onto the court. And I think that’s a big reason why we even made it this far in the first place”. That mindset of teamwork and trust helped carry the girls through one of their strongest seasons yet.
Eve still is unsure whether or not she wants to play in college, but there is one thing she’s sure about, “I want to coach. I want to be able to give other young volleyball players an environment where they can really thrive and get better at the sport that they love. I want to be the coach that makes people fall in love with the game. I just want to be remembered as someone who fostered their love for the sport instead of tearing it down”. Even if she doesn’t continue playing competitively, Eve’s influence on the sport is just beginning.
Being a part of this team is something that Senior Mara Torino will remember forever. She said, “Personally it’s been a really life changing thing for me, because I never really played volleyball before. I actually just started my freshman year. And it’s just created a family for me that when things are going on, like outside of school, or even in school, I could always go to my team and always feel comfortable talking to them about anything. And it’s just created so many friendships that I’ll never forget even after I graduate.” For Mara, the team became more like a second family, it was a place where she always felt supported.
Junior Chloe Viglione agrees that there’s a lot of hard work that went into this season, “Definitely a lot of work. A lot of mental and physical work has been put in because this season has been a lot tougher than in the past . . . I feel like we’ve been pushed to higher expectations than we were in the past years.” Chloe’s drive for success and competitive nature, as well as having a new head coach, pushed her towards these milestones.
Unfortunately, the girls went home Wednesday with a loss against Watertown, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Though their season came to a close after the second round of states, the EHHS girls have set a new standard for the future.
