State goal motivates Falcons

Fenwick’s volleyball team is eager for tournament run after last season’s semifinal loss.

Chelsea Byrge (left), and Kasey Kramer practice jumping Monday, Aug. 30, during volleyball practice at Fenwick High School.

Staff photo by Apryl Pilolli Chelsea Byrge (left), and Kasey Kramer practice jumping Monday, Aug. 30, during volleyball practice at Fenwick High School.

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By Debbie Juniewicz Pete Conrad, Contributing Writer Updated 1:41 PM Tuesday, August 31, 2010

They anticipate each other’s movements on the court. They know exactly how to motivate each other and communication is never a problem.

“We joke that we have a psychic connection,” Fenwick High School senior Melanie Monahan said. “But we really are, almost always, on the same page.”

That connection has been a decade in the making and started on the basketball court when they were in the second grade.

“She will just look at me and I know exactly where I need to go,” middle hitter Chelsea Farrell said. “It’s like a crazy little twin thing.”

The Falcons seniors have been friends and teammates for more than half of their lives.

“My little brother said that he can’t even remember a time when he didn’t know Chelsea and he’s right,” Monahan said. “We’ve played together for so long our communication is pretty much dead on and we’re best friends as well as teammates.”

Camaraderie has paid big dividends and not just for Monahan and Farrell. Fenwick qualified for the Division III state tournament last year for the first time since 1980. Their state semifinal loss has been all the motivation the senior-strong Falcons need.

“Oh, my gosh, you would not believe how much we want to get back there. We talk about it probably more than we should,” Farrell said. “And, even at practices, there are so many times when we are going all out for every ball. We’re definitely hungry for a state title.”

The Falcons know, however, that their hunger has to be paired with hard work.

“We’ve been going at it for 14 weeks of conditioning,” Fenwick coach Yoon Ha said. “We’re really focused on becoming functional and fit athletes, not just better volleyball players.”

The Falcons are a tight-knit group with nine seniors. Two-time D-III district player of the year Alyssa Beck and All-GGCL and district honoree Jessica Levy are four-year starters.

“We go to football games together and hang out together a lot because we’ve all become good friends,” Farrell said. “Now we’d like to be good friends who are state champions.”