The Varsity volleyball team ranks 3rd in 5A Area 6 region in Georgia

Photos by Shayan Ahmed and Sonya Pandya

Anya Biswas, Features Editor & Anya Surani, Staff Writer

The Northview volleyball team held a streak of 18 wins straight at the beginning of the 2023 season. The team is currently ranked in the top three of the 5A area 6 region in Georgia.

Marina Dixon is in the gym every Monday and Wednesday, running drills and working on lineups with the team. She played volleyball for 12 years and even played as a student for the Northview High School volleyball team. Marina has now been coaching at Northview High School for three years. Marina Dixon and Mike Dixon, the team's co-head coaches, encourage the team to stay motivated and continue on their path to success.

"I have high expectations for them. I want them to believe in themselves and have the confidence to be able to move through this journey," Marina Dixon said.

In addition to the coaches, the co-captains, Katherine Marshall and Ana Cabrera, are essential in supporting the team and growing together. They help run drills, find each other's strengths, and help the team strategize to become better.

“We've had Angelise Mercado, she really stepped up, and Katherine Marshall has been a leader all along,” Mike Dixon said.

The Lady Titans lift each other up and visibly allow the team to become a close-knit family; on the court and during games, the team chemistry is on display. The players on the team have spent hours together, practicing, hanging out, and playing volleyball games. This close connection has emerged in chants that junior Nikki Hwang leads throughout the game.

"Volleyball is a really mental sport, compared to a lot of other sports, but having these chants just really set the mood," Hwang said.

The Lady Titans are quite successful this season, followed by a supportive fan base. Lauren Caylor, the team manager, does this. She considers herself their “hype person” as she runs the Instagram page and regularly posts "Almost Thursday[s]" before the game on @northviewvb. The social media page is there to spread the word and get Northview students to come out to matches. In order to get the crowd involved, the team has dress-up days for Northview's home games. These themes have been things like “USA Day”, “Wild West”, and “Pink Out”.

"I feel like we feed off of energy, and that is when we do our best, when we're really excited,” Mercado said. “Especially when our bench is cheering for us, it feeds into how we play.”

With a supportive fan base cheering on the team, the players thrive off their energy and get excited. The team held their Senior Night on Oct. 3 with friends, family, and teachers cheering from the bleachers. The varsity volleyball team wrapped up their season ranking 6th in Georgia 5A and 3rd in Georgia 5A Area 6. For the future seasons, they will focus on improving, practicing, and working as a team for the new season.