ABOVE: Members of the Fairmont High School volleyball team. Left to Right: Front: Elizabeth Lowry, Mercedes Moulton, Lexi Fuller, Leslie Zarling, Makenzie Lowry, Ava Rodning, Mariah Moeller, Haleigh Grotzinger, Maddie Hennager. Back row: Bre Steuber, Ilana Moeller, Jadyn Montgomery, Lilly Meyers, Brylee Miller, Meredith Nemmers, Faith Kotewa, Makayla Lowry, Ellie Ortega and Courtney Williams.

FAIRMONT- The Fairmont High School volleyball team is focusing on becoming a unified squad as the new season approaches. Coming off of 4-18 season, growth is the target for head coach Elizabeth Lowry.

Having 11 returning seniors on the roster, few have seen varsity play and are ready to be tested.

“Of those seniors, only a handful of them had seen varsity play,” Lowry said. “Most of them played JV last year. But we have a good amount of players returning with experience.”

The goal is to not focus on varsity and junior varsity, but to focus on team building as a single unit — making the players and lineup more dynamic and versatile regardless of who is on the court.

“We’re really kind of focusing on making sure that we’re all one team,” Lowry said. “that’s kind of been our motto. I’m huge on it’s not C squad, B squad, JV, varsity. We are Fairmont Cardinal Volleyball, so we’re one team.”

In addition to the cycling lineups, the team has been practicing as a squad rather than breaking out into the traditional groups. This was implemented to foster the one-team mentality further by allowing players of various skill levels to play with and against each other.

“We do a lot of our activities together and just kind of breeding that mentality,” Lowry said. “We’re creating a legacy for what the seniors leave, the freshmen keep carrying on.”

Opting to not aim for the top, the team’s mentality is just to be better than the season before. Focusing on the present makes sure that the improvement is coming whether it be mental or in skill on the court.

“Our goal has always been, like when I started last year, to be better than what we were the previous year,” Lowry said. “Whether that is with more wins or if that’s seeing significant skill increase.”

Lowry citied a target of making sure that the first step is the right one. Having no doubt in the skill or knowledge base of the team it’s about focusing on the positive and not dwelling on the mistakes.

“We have a very strong skill base and knowledge base within our whole volleyball program,” Lowry said. “Specifically, our juniors and seniors are pretty seasoned when it comes to knowing their positions and where to play. Overall, we just need to make sure that we’re always putting that first foot forward and focusing on the positives and moving on if we had a shanked pass or a bad hit.”

The combined practices have paid off beyond just skill improvement. According to Lowry the overall cohesion of the team has grown exponentially. The ability to see new players alongside veterans has allowed the players to grow and the players to bond further.

“Our cohesion and our chemistry on the court is going to be a lot different than even last year,” Lowry. “They have a little bit more experience of actually getting to know each and building that relationship.”

The Fairmont high school volleyball team is set to open its season at 10 a.m. Saturday in New Ulm against Redwood Valley.