For most high school athletic teams, the journey toward a championship is just as important as the result at the end of the season. Along the way, lessons are learned, experiences build character, and the time together, facing and overcoming adversity, develops lifelong bonds.

The Southern Regional girls volleyball squad’s journey this fall actually began last fall, when a devastating, two-game loss to Williamstown abruptly ended what had been, to that point, an otherwise perfect season.