“Sharkbait! Hoo ha ha!” This chant, recognizable from Disney’s “Finding Nemo,” is led by Senior Carolyn Jenny at the beginning of every girls’ volleyball game in order to pump up the team. The chant isn’t the only newcomer to the court; the volleyball team has a new head coach, Kristen Ames. She is a Freedom Area High School alumna and said she is glad to be back here coaching for the team. This summer, she and the team fully dedicated themselves to the sport they love to play. They held fundraisers in order to purchase new uniforms and honed their volleyball skills for the season. “We raised $2500 for uniforms because the ones we had last year looked like they were from ‘Baby Gap,’” Sophomore Mackenzie Keller said. In order to raise the money needed, the volleyball team held a car wash and a hoagie sale; in addition, they sold candy and volleyball apparel. In addition to fundraising, the team attended many conditioning practices to get back in shape. This year, the coach said the practices she held focused a lot on building up the team’s stamina. “Stamina is huge,” Coach Ames said, “and it is needed because sometimes [matches] can go up to 5 games.” From the very beginning, the team went through a lot of stamina training. For mandatory summer conditioning alone, the team had to be in the gymnasium by 5:40 a.m. to put up the net and be down at the track by 6:00 a.m. to start their mile. When the team finished their mile, they used the remaining time to run drills and complete circuits. For regular after-school practices, the team refines their plays and basic fundamentals for two hours, in addition to some aerobics and cardiovascular training. Furthermore, when there are specific practices set to work on muscle toning, the team does strength training in the weight room. “We cultivated our skills and went over the fundamentals. We also improved as individuals and as a team,” Sophomore Samantha Marchionda said. Coach Ames said that everything is more organized and attitudes are more positive this year. In addition to the improvements, she said that the team is now utilizing their talents even with the disadvantages this season. More than a third of the 21 players are currently injured, and they face an extremely tough section. Coach Ames believes that if the girls were in a different section, without a doubt, there would be more wins. Senior Miranda Pfeiffer feels that the team took a whole new approach during this year’s season when the team received their new coach. “I would describe Coach Ames as helpful, encouraging, and compassionate. She hasn’t quit on us once,” Pfeiffer said.