The Xavier Saints volleyball team is off to an impressive start to the season with a record of 23-4. They are led by seniors Jess Callahan and Lexi Noonan.

The Saints took home the gold at the Cedar Rapids Washington tournament Saturday, September 3. They were 6-0 in the tournament, knocking off two 5A ranked teams, Linn-Mar and Johnston. They also went undefeated in the North Scott tournament on Saturday, September 9. The Saints went to the Benton tournament the following weekend where they lost their first game against Marion in the semi finals. Saturday the 24 the girls went 6-1 in the Dubuque invite.

“The season is going really great. The team has started off strong by working hard everyday in practice and that work has shown in games and tournaments,” junior Charlotte Richards said. The Saints have a new coach this year, Austin Filer.

Filer has shaped the volleyball team and has taken them to a whole new level. He has worked hard with the girls individually on their fundamentals.

“After every game, we talk about the things we did really well and the things we need to improve on,” Richards said. “By doing this, we can focus on the things we need to improve on in practice.”

The team has grown pretty close to one another. After pracitces in the summer they would hang out at the pool and have team dinners. This has helped them build chemistry on the court.

“We have really good chemistry this year. We work well together and know how each other plays, so we know   what  they  are going to do,” junior Rachel Sodawasser said.

The  next time the Saints can be seen in action at home is Friday, October 14 against Vinton-Shellsburg.