CORAOPOLIS, PA - The Cornell Raiders Girls Volleyball team is known for having struggles, every season. But, could those struggles finally be over?

Last year, the team was coming back from yet another rough season from the previous year. But, the future was looking bright for the Raiders. With high hopes and new coaching staff, the Raiders entered the 2020-2021 season eager to get payback on the teams they once played before. Alexis Hamm took over as the new Head Coach for the Lady Raiders, and she was not sure what was in store. That is, a team composed of juniors, a handful of sophomores and freshmen, and one senior. The Raiders ended the 2020 season 2-8, with their only wins against Sto-Rox (0-10). They hoped to come back the following season and change things around.

The Lady Raiders were tired of constantly losing seasons, so they did something about it. The Lady Raiders, who are now in fourth place in the single-A, section 3 division, knocked off Hillcrest Christian Academy, 3-2,  to qualify for the 2021-2022 WPIAL Playoffs. The win wasn’t easy for the Lady Raiders, as small mess-ups continued to get in their way. The team was becoming frustrated. That is until Junior Captain, Hannah Hoffman, served five straight aces over the net to catch the team up and cheer up her teammates. “I like to keep up the morale by being positive,” said Hoffman. “I offer feedback and focus on the good things instead of obsessing over the things going wrong.” And by doing just that, the Lady Raiders won the match after a tough dog fight.