The Vixens’ Journey to the Playoffs

The Vixens, Stuyvesant’s girls’ varsity volleyball team, started the season with a huddle, high fives, and a loud chant of “Kick some butts!” Since that cheer, the team has gone 6-0 without dropping a set—the best mark they have had since 2019, when they won all of their regular season games before losing a close match in the second round of the playoffs. But this year, the Vixens have a shot at the Championships.

“City Championships is everybody’s goal, and I think it’s very achievable,” senior and co-captain Venus Wan said. The Vixens have been working harder than ever to improve this season and win the Championship.

“We are setting up scrimmages with all of the top teams and playing in competitive tournaments that will hopefully [...] help us make that goal a reality,” coach Vasken Choubaralian said. However, these scrimmages have not gone as well as the rest of the season. The Vixens are 3-3 in their non-scheduled games, many of which were against teams that are also likely to make the postseason. In fact, two of these losses were against the John Jay Campus Jaguars, who are also undefeated in their division this year.

Still, practicing against strong teams can only help the Vixens improve. With a 6-0 record, making the playoffs is all but guaranteed, and once they get there, anything can happen. In the final three games of the regular season, the team needs to make sure that the start of the elimination games won’t spell the end of the season like it has in their last few trips to the playoffs. The team knows what they have to work on.

“At this point in the season, we need to improve our consistency in all of the skills, specifically our front row defense, meaning blocking,” Choubaralian said. Blocking in volleyball is when a player jumps up and deflects the ball back onto the opponent’s side. It’s a very important skill, but the Vixens have been able to get around it on many points because of how strong their serving is. The Vixens’ servers have served dozens of aces this year, which has been instrumental to many of their victories.

In the games so far this season, the Vixens’ biggest strength has been their teamwork. “Our team chemistry is amazing, and this chemistry can take us far,” senior and co-captain Shivani Shah said. “We’ve been practicing hard every day, trying new drills, experimenting with plays, taking criticism, working on our weaknesses, and constantly strengthening our bond.” That bond has led to some incredible shows of passing the ball around to set up the winning shot.

“The hitters are finding their rhythm and connecting with their setter Shivani,” Choubaralian said. The majority of the team’s starting lineup has been working together for at least three years, which means that they know how their teammates think in a game. After every point, the team comes together for a quick huddle to recenter themselves regardless of the outcome of the point. When one teammate falters, others are there to pick them up, and that is why the Vixens have been so dominant this season.

But winning isn’t what the Vixens care about most. “I’m really excited to just play with everyone and see us succeed, personally and as a team,” senior and co-captain Jocelyn Mo said. When asked, everyone interviewed said they were most excited to simply play together because the Vixens are like a family.

For the rest of the season and once the playoffs start, the team aims to take things one step at a time. And of course, as it has been proven to work: go out every game and kick some butt!