Girls Volleyball Co-Captain Mary Lord ’24 started her volleyball journey in the fifth grade, drawing inspiration from her older sister’s involvement in a middle school team. Since then, Lord has dedicated herself to the sport — developing a strong sense of the game. According to Lord, a key element that nurtured her passion for volleyball was the support she found within the sport.
“When I first started playing volleyball and I started going to overnight tournaments and practicing a lot, I just loved being a part of the team like that. I feel like it fosters a really good community… You get to expand the circle of the team and become close with girls you wouldn’t get the chance to meet with otherwise and that’s really fun,” said Lord.
In her role as Co-Captain, Lord aspires to cultivate an inclusive community by focusing on effective communication on and off the court. Lord strives to nurture strong bonds among teammates.
Lord said, “One of my major goals is to make the team feel like a family. I think that as a sport, volleyball is very reliant on team chemistry because so much is involved with knowing where the other person is going to put the ball, understanding where they want you to place the ball for them to then be able to hit it. A goal I have for the team is that everyone feels close, everyone includes each other, everyone is nice to each other.”
According to Hailey Piasecki ’26, Lord’s friendly demeanor and composed disposition has played a crucial role in welcoming new players to the team. Piasecki noted how important the captains are in building players’ morale.
“Mary is extremely supportive to every member of the team, during preseason there was a lot of pressure and anxiety everyone was under, and Mary was amazing at partnering up with new players and making everyone feel welcomed. On long bus rides to away games, she is the best at getting everyone pumped up and ready to play. She is an amazing captain and the team will not be the same without her next year,” said Piasecki.
With her strong mentality, Lord maintains high morale by encouraging her teammates during challenging times. Saraya Angbazo ’25 noted how Lord’s presence inspires everyone to give their best effort and contribute to the team’s success.
“Mary is a super positive player. She’s always super fun to talk to and will get you pumped up on the court. We always say, ‘be a goldfish,’ to remind us to have short term memory and forget mistakes during the game so we can move on. Mary certainly embodies that mindset, and we can see that in the way she is able to carry the team’s play and energy on the court,” said Angbazo.
Lord noted that her supportive nature helps nurture the team. Whether there are moments of error or not, she helps her teammates maintain focus and optimism.
“I always make sure that people know that they have done a good job, and also I try to encourage players that it is okay to make mistakes. It is easy in volleyball to make mistakes, it [is] the nature of the game… You just have to shake it all off because keeping the energy up is being ok with making mistakes and just forgetting about it and just play your best game and continue to have fun,” said Lord.
