On the evening of Oct. 24, the sky around West High was lit with lightning and alive with the noises of rain and thunder, but inside the atmosphere of the Trojan gym, it was even more electrifying. The volleyball semifinal match between West and Marshalltown was underway.

Both teams entered the match with high stakes, as the winner would advance to the finale. It was an intense game but ultimately, West High outplayed Marshalltown, winning three sets 25-19, 25-11 and 25-21 and advancing onward to play Dowling Catholic on Oct. 29. 

Standing at 6’3, Audrey Small ’28 is a new and upcoming star freshman on the team. Small has a total of 37 serve aces and 76 total blocks so far in the season and has been a strong point on the volleyball team. More incredible players for West include Lila Eastvold ’27, with a gobsmacking total of 538 total assists, and Sophia Austen ’27 with 288 total kills this season. Despite these stars on West’s team, the championship match is going to be a tough one, and the team will have to work hard leading up to it. 

“We have to be really technical and cut down on our mistakes in the next couple of days in practice. We’re going to really dig in,” Ava Bruxvoort ’25 said.

Gracie Liu ’27 also agrees that the team will have to work hard in preparation but believes they will be ready.

“It’s going to be a tough game against Dowling…but I think we have a really good shot of beating them,” said Liu.

West is now 12-17 even with a rocky beginning but has picked their game up in the last couple of weeks and winning against top-placing teams like City High, proving to be an extremely competent contender for their conference. 

Playing a major role in the team’s development is Head Coach Ben Bahr. At the beginning of the year, the volleyball team didn’t have a head coach. Because of this, the team remarked they felt “split apart” and almost unlike a team.

This was until Bahr stepped in and sorted out knots in the system and ultimately was a leading figure in pushing West’s team to the championship and providing them with the opportunity to grow and develop. 

Gallery • 10 Photos

Maddux Neukirch

West High's girls volleyball team huddles together and celebrates as they go into the third set.