The Pascack Valley volleyball team boasts a group of four seniors who will look to provide leadership in a season that will take place much later than usual.

“Sam [Tarna] and Shayne [Flanagan] were captains last year because they were on the court a lot, so this year all four [seniors] will be captains because they are all leaders in their own way,” coach Katlyn Lewis said.

One of the biggest changes for this team this season is that the season is taking place much later than usual. Instead of taking place in the fall, it was postponed to the spring due to COVID-19.

“We didn’t know if they were going to have this opportunity to play because this isn’t normally [the time of] our season,” Lewis said.

All four seniors – Flanagan, Tarna, Jenna Joroff, and Nicole Perrone – previously played on varsity last year and have important jobs on and off the court.

“[Last year] our hitting was good but it wasn’t comparable to the other teams,” Lewis said. “The other teams were a little older and a little stronger. This year we have seniors that are going to lead the team and put up a better fight in order to put the ball away a little bit more.”

Although the team had its faults last year, it could never be completely counted out of any match.

“We had awesome ball control and didn’t give up on any play [last season],” Lewis said.

This is no normal season due to COVID-19 and the safety guidelines that have been put in place for the season. The team will not be able to shake hands with the other team before and after the game, flip a coin with captains to determine sides and possession, or even switch sides of the court in between sets.

“You just have to live day by day right now,” Lewis said. “Focus on one thing at a time.”