The 2024-25 season for our Canyon Varsity Volleyball team has come to its end following a hard-fought effort against Vandegrift in the state championships, that fell just short. A few months ago, earlier in the season, I was able to interview head volleyball coach Heather Sanders and assess the season up to that point. Once again, I was able to talk with Coach Sanders, this time with a new outlook come season’s end.
At the beginning of the season, there was not a clear path for how the season would go. “Everyone had the same feeling; we didn’t know what it was going to look like with such a new group.” Coach Sanders said. However, that presented a great opportunity for the team to grow, both as a unit and as individuals.
When I asked Coach Sanders about the biggest change she saw from the beginning of the season compared to the end, she pointed out how much their technique and tempo had improved as time went on. “I would just say the flow of the game,” she said. “Our transition game as the girls began to really trust the person playing next to them became a lot easier.”.
Coach Sanders also pointed to the team’s September 20th victory at Clemsen as a major inflection point for the trajectory of the season. “Our win over Clemens in the first round of districts was a real turning point for us. We had lost our opener against Johnson, and we hadn’t lost a district opener in a while. We were still at that point of the season where we didn’t know what to expect, and then after we beat Clemens, who we knew was the next top team in the district, everyone took a breath and knew we were back on track”.
Looking forward to the future, the path remains bright for our varsity team. Despite losing a few senior players going into the 2025-26 season, there is still a reliable cycle of talent that Coach Sanders is confident with to adapt. “We return a really large group. We lose some seniors at key positions, but we return a lot of players at key positions and we feel really good at the growth they show throughout the season and some are going to be able to step in and fill the roles of the seniors that have left”.
At season’s end, our Canyon Varsity Volleyball team tallied an overall record of 33-14, going 10-2 within their district and sat ranked #33 within the state. With a bright future ahead and new talent on the horizon, all eyes are on the future of the team and what the 2025-26 season possibly has in store.
