Three 4’s, Three Captains Leading & More

Volleyball. To what can be described as a game of mistakes, it is no mistake to who our 2025 team captains are for the girls volleyball team. And who are they? Avery Smith, Jenna Goudge, and Sarah Laallami.

Their dogs, Riley, Maple, and Miley are just one part of their unique persona and outstanding character. All the way from Avery’s musical family, her secret talent of singing, and lacrosse stardom, to Sarah’s dual sport mentality with being a great swimmer and a G.O.A.T. on her ten year old swim team and playing the harmonica, to R.I.P. Jenna’s broken finger and transferring to Doherty late into freshman year. These girls don’t come up short in anything, they are in fact a force to be reckoned with.

All three outside hitters, they attack from the left front of the court, perceived as the main attackers on the court. Both Sarah and Jenna have been playing since freshman year and Avery played at her middle school, Forest Grove. To what was a rocky start, these captains have come a long way in their volleyball journey. Jenna Goudge, now a senior, transferred to Doherty after volleyball season so she started playing her sophomore year. At first she felt everyone already knew each other with their so-called “clicks” but when she started talking to others, no doubt found a foundation of family. 

Sarah Laallami, Doherty’s junior captain, is one hell of a show to watch. Looking at the roster sophomore year and then following that with captain a year later, she just keeps on showing out. When asked if she would play volleyball in college she says, “I do want to play volleyball in college. It’s like, I’ve been working so hard these past three years that I feel like I should at least try and see if I can make it because I know my hard work will pay off.” Showing her loving support, Smith hypes Sarah up by saying how her improvements from when she first started playing is “catastrophic,” and with the pressure she put on herself and others put on her, she is absolutely incredible now that she could play in college. 

Other than playing at Doherty Laallami plays for Slam 16 Power Black and played for Slam 15 Nationals last season. Fun fact, one of her favorite memories in her volleyball career other than making varsity and junior captain is traveling to Orlando for a club tournament. Goudge also played Dragons and did 16 and 17s Nationals, and is planning on 18 regionals this year. Smith never played in any club team but just goes to show how much leadership and talent she possesses without it.

Thinking of the big question: “What do you say about your experience at Doherty playing volleyball?” these girls had some great points to offer. Diving in, Smith exclaims,“My experience playing volleyball at Doherty has been a roller coaster, but I feel like, especially this year, we’ve all gotten really close and I really enjoy playing with these girls.” Joking, but also meaning it, Avery knows she will be a hot mess when she graduates. While there are times when volleyball is a lot, at the end of the day when they all come together she loves being here in this space. Sarah follows up with the question pointing out that the girls are her family, the seniors are older sisters, and “the community of our team has really helped me become the player I am today.” Avery even further adds that she thrives as a person as well because the girls bring her out of her shell, make her feel comfortable at school, and she has made a lot of amazing friends as a result. Jenna, always adding to lighten the mood states that volleyball is,“probably the one place I know everyone’s names.”

Volleyball is a ten letter word with three syllables. It is a game, but in a way it is life. When the girls were tasked with their answer to what the best part of playing volleyball is, there were only excited responses. Laallami speaks on the adrenaline of playing volleyball and how she’s not good at many things but volleyball is “my stuff.” This is the sport she knows she’s good at and especially with the girls, they bring the mood up and this helps her a lot. Avery, the ray of sunshine she is, says, “the girls are a huge part of why I’m still here and why I love being here every single day, but like Sarah said with adrenaline, I feel this game in my bones. Being on the court is such an exhilarating feeling and I just love it.” Goudge feeds into the conversation more with mentioning that “before a game I’m just so nervous and then I get on the court and I can’t think of anything but volleyball.”

Earlier enforced how volleyball is in a way like life, life possesses many ups and downs. Life isn’t this one-sided coin that will go in the way you want. No, it has challenges, moments of defeat, then success. Like life, the captains share on the hardest parts of volleyball. Goudge voiced that setter and libero are probably the two most challenging positions out there because setters really have to work on timing as well as getting around other players to get in their spot, while the libero is the largest position in the back row. While everyone agrees, Sarah also tells us that the hardest thing is getting out of your head. “It’s hard to get out of your head once you mess up (bringing up not wanting to let your team down, even if they won’t get mad, it’s the pressure factor) because of how fast paced volleyball is its so many quick decisions. You have to think immediately.” And while this is a valid concern of getting in your head and messing the situation up, Sarah further explains how she wishes she could tell her younger self to “stop getting frustrated at everyone around you when you mess up and learn how to move on.”  Sharing this and more, she notes that this is something she just learned how to do because after a point is lost, it’s gone and the only thing you can do is move foward. Moreover, Avery speaks on something she still is working on that she would tell her younger self, “stop holding on to little things and just don’t worry about everyone else all the time, move on in life because everything will be fine.”

Just further going on with this motivational topic, the girls give advice to upcoming volleyball players. Sarah really stresses how the best thing one can do is learn their fundamentals and don’t try to do anything fancy at the start when learning. She encourages others to watch films to get a better understanding on how others players and that people will have so much potential if they focus on the little things. So, in other words, get scrappy and always have a ball in your hand. Smith piggybacks off of Sarah and hints at the stereotype that volleyball is just a game of passing the ball, instead she proclaims that it’s very technical. “If you’re not down a certain way, if your hands are not placed a certain way, it’s not going to work.” Just take your time. And in case you were wondering about some technicalities, Jenna brings up the rule about not touching the net and how players that first start volleyball will “be on the net like a fish.” With one last piece of advice in mind, Jenna gives a tip she did for serving: practicing with her backyard shed and marking a point of where the net would be and serving above that.

Playing at Doherty, making thousands of memories, this has led favorite memories to be born. The seniors share theirs. Jenna recalls watching the girls that didn’t set up the net last year do a dance as punishment and comments that it was a funny sight to watch. Even though the team wasn’t that good last year, she has fond memories of playing Fitchburg and expecting to lose then actually getting another w to the record every time. Jenna and Avery think of last year’s pink night with only good in their eyes too. Just overall Smith claims that not even a certain memory she can think of, but this year is such a good way to go out. Even students, parents, friends, or teachers watching this year’s game feels the static in the air and how far the Highlanders have come. 

Laallami, Smith, and Goudge just constantly prove who they are and set out to be. Never forgetting their student athlete commitments, Goudge is in Dual Enrollment English and AP World History, Laallami takes AP Psychology, Smith is also in Dual Enrollment, AP Psych, Student Council, Food Drive Club, and all of them managed the boys volleyball team last year.

Thinking of our lovely seniors always, Avery hopes to study Radiology and is currently looking at UMASS Medical and Quinsigamond to possibly get her electives over but transfer after to UMASS. Jenna, the genius she is, wants to do video game design and is on the hunt for schools that offer this nearby. 

Wrapping up the interview, the girls volleyball career wouldn’t be possible with the inspiration and support they received from those around them. Bringing on the sentimental side, Sarah’s Dad played volleyball when he was her age and he was also an outside hitter. Sarah tells us that his work ethic in volleyball and life inspires her constantly. Avery identifies her older brother as her biggest inspiration and recognizes that he practically raised her. Hugs and lots of thanks to him. Jenna lets us know too that everyone except her other brother played or is playing volleyball so she gets some of her inspiration from them. 

Without a doubt you probably have noticed all captains have the number four in their jerseys, so we ended the interview of how the lucky number four came to be. Sarah’s leading factor was number four was her Dad’s jersey number, Jenna’s twenty-four was based off of Kobe’s number because of her family’s hobby of watching basketball together, and Avery one year picked up the number fourteen and it suited her, with an added factor of lacrosse, and from that day on she decided it would be her number forever.

Thinking back on the girls accomplishments and future ahead, it is crazy to think Doherty won’t contain these three at the end of the school year or the next. They will be missed dearly. Mostly we will miss Sarah’s passion on and off the court, Jenna’s easy going attitude and her ability to help and explain something if you need it, and Avery’s dear personality of being the sweetest person ever. Here’s to a beautiful rest of the season and a spectacular future ahead.