Jesse Brawders is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Carl Hayden Community High School for AZPreps365.com.

This season has not gotten off to the best start for the Falcons of the Carl Hayden girls volleyball team. They have started their season with six straight losses.  

But there is a sense of excitement and optimism in the Carl Hayden camp, with their first region game on the horizon against Central on Wednesday.

The game, which will be played at Central, will be the second in a five-game stretch for the Falcons. Even with the long week ahead, head coach Andrew Scott said the goal for this team is still the same: to improve every game.

“The girls are learning a lot and I am excited to see them apply what we are learning against the regional teams,” Scott said.  

Scott is in his second year as head coach of the varsity girls volleyball team, after being on the Carl Hayden boys volleyball coaching staff for a couple of seasons.  

He noted the team is slightly younger than other teams, with the majority of the team sophomores and juniors. But to senior captain Andrea Hinojosa and junior captain Sausha Romero, the age of their team is a non-factor.

“The sophomores and juniors know how to get their head in the game and know when it is time to be serious,” Hinojosa said.

Both Hinojosa and Romero also noted the team has seen visible improvement all around, including their communication and teamwork.

In the upcoming match against the Bobcats, both captains were confident about what their team could do.

“Well, right now we are looking at it as a lot of competition,” Hinojosa said, adding that the whole team is excited for the game and hoping to get their first win of the 2021 season. 

“I feel like it is going to be a lot easier to compete with them, since they are in our district,” Romero said.

Neither team has won a match as of Sept. 21, so both teams will be looking for their first win of the season. 

Potentially the biggest asset to this team, according to Scott, is the team’s mental strength. Scott spoke about how his team has continued to keep their heads up and support one another, even with the rough start to the season.

“They are keeping their attitudes up, they are remembering their rotations, taking on their roles and taking ownership of their roles,” Scott said.

The resounding theme from Scott, Hinojosa and Romero was that the match against Central was a start to a new chapter of the 2021 Falcons season.  

“With our regional teams, I feel like we can actually compete with them and hopefully win some games,” Hinojosa said.

“If they bring that kind of attitude to the region games, I’m pretty confident the rest of the season is going to be in our favor,” Scott said.