by Adam Rabinowitz
Girls’ volleyball, 8-3, has had a strong start to the season and recently found their ideal lineup, according to senior Tess Simons, a captain with the rest of the team’s seniors.
Simmons said that the Bay State conference is harder than in year’s past, and has caused a some trouble against certain teams.
According to senior Sammy Marcus, losing a majority of last year’s starting lineup was hard, and in the beginning of the season she was unsure about how things will fare this year.

“With the combination of experienced returning players and skilled new players, Tiger volleyball has sustained it’s competitive, intense, and game-winning reputation,” she said.
The Tigers have also benefited from the new players, whose “skills and personalities have molded well with the rest of the players,” said Marcus.
According to Simmons, freshman Julia Lanfear has played very well thus far.
“Julia has played volleyball longer than anyone else on the team. She has definitely earned her spot in the starting lineup,” she said.
The Tigers have also experienced strong team bonding so far, according to Marcus. On the back of their warmup jerseys are the letters “WTLT”, which stands for “win together lose together.”
Simmons also added that her goals for the year have changed as the team has developed and grown.
“My expectation was to be an aggressive team. I have realized that we are quietly aggressive. We can really be a powerhouse volleyball team,” she said.
Simmons also stressed that the Tigers are working hard to make it back to the State Finals for the third consecutive year.
“Although we are not as strong as usual, we are definitely the most hard working team I have ever been on. We want to do it for ourselves and our coach Richard Barton who has probably brought more teams to State Finals than any other coach at North but we have yet to win,” she said.
The Tigers next face Braintree at home Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 4 p.m.