Photo courtesy: ikevaristyvb on Instagram

After winning against Romeo High School, the varsity volleyball team is heading to quarterfinals. Beating Romeo in five sets, they are regional champs.

After winning Mac Red Championships, districts and advancing to regionals, the varsity volleyball team has accelerated through the ranks with the help of new mental strategies. 

“I believe the girls were invested in the message and activities that they participated in. I feel it has brought them closer and helped them on an individual level. I have not really seen them get too rattled this season, which is huge progress,” coach Caitlin LaPratt said.

At the beginning of the season, all three volleyball teams were introduced to mental performance coach Kelsey Gustafson. She focused on creating a narrative for the season, how to handle setbacks, team communication, the concept of leading versus following and an emphasis on a “we” mentality as well. 

“At first there might have been a little bit of skepticism, but to be honest, not really. They were all excited for me to be there and I think that’s a huge testament to why they’re playing so well throughout the end of the season, is because they are really open-minded and want to do everything to make themselves as a whole athlete, both physically and mentally, the strongest they can be, to play the best consistently,” Gustafson said. 

They use a boat metaphor to stay focused: “What’s going to make the boat go faster?” Just as a boat needs everyone rowing in sync, volleyball requires a full team effort for success. But, individual setbacks can slow things down, so this theme guides them in handling challenges. When mistakes arise, they have learned to pivot quickly to keep momentum.

“There was a big sense of believing in their process and believing in their hard work and so I think that that was probably the main factor of calming themselves down, trusting the process, learning how to communicate with each other, handle those at first moments and bounce back, resetting from the multiple mistakes and continuing to move forward to win the match,”  Gustafson said. 

Another reminder for the girls to stay positive is a green ribbon tied to their shoelaces. They use a “traffic light” approach to stay positive under pressure. Like a yellow light, setbacks offer a choice: hesitate or push forward with confidence. The green ribbon symbolizes the “go” mindset and reminds each player to stay positive. When they glance at the ribbon, it’s a cue to shift to an encouraging mindset in which the players themselves can give their own meaning, especially if they’re struggling mid-game.

The introduction of these habits and strategies led the girls to stay resilient through each game. One game one at a time, they have led a successful season. The team won Mac Red Championships against Chippewa Valley High School and districts against Grosse Pointe North High School, heading to regionals. 

“I think it [mental performance coaching] was really good for us,” junior captain Gina Fedrigo said. “Taught us a lot of different strategies and ways to help us be there for one another and also better ourselves on the court and I think it did translate a lot too, on the court, being able to use the strategies and tactics.”