SALEM, Va. (WFXR) — The perfect season is an elusive one for many high school teams. But it isn’t impossible. Just ask the Glenvar high school volleyball team, who were crowned back-to-back Class 2 state champions last month.

The group is led by five seniors, who will remember their final season as one when they went undefeated.

“We have bonded together so much so to play every single point, we knew that this was our last year together so we treated every single point like it was our last,” senior outside hitter Claire Griffith said. “That’s why I feel like we did that.”

Griffith was named the Class 2 Player of the Year after Glenvar won the state title against East Rockingham. But she knows her achievements aren’t possible without her teammates, who feel the exact same way.

“Going from fourth grade to senior year, with my best friends who I just love to be around so much,” senior libero Cara Butler said. “It’s just amazing that I got to be with all of them on the court for the last points of my high school volleyball career. It’s like something you don’t get back. It’s truly amazing.”

Butler is the team’s libero, who stands out, and not just because she wears a different jersey than everyone else.

“I know Cara has told me to have a lot of confidence when I’m playing. In the previous games, I’ve been timid and hesitant and so I haven’t been playing like my full self,” fellow senior outside hitter Hannah Hylton said. “And then when she told me to be more confident, I just started being more confident and these past few games, I’ve been playing really well so it’s been all my teammates.”

The seniors, including Sydney Loder and Rhyan Harris, end their volleyball careers with a 38-match win streak that dates back to October 2021. And for head coach Mark Rohrback, they’re a class unlike any other he’s had before.

“They just talk about what happened and they figure it out but it’s constructive and it’s always positive,” Rohrback said. “They never place blame, you see that so rarely with top level high school athletes because they don’t want to take responsibility sometimes for making a mistake.”

This group has played together since they were fourth graders. And throughout their run as back-to-back champions, they’ve learned to have fun through all the ups and downs.

“That is why we’re probably undefeated because we have the most fun. Like all the time at practice,” Butler said. “Even when drills get tough, we are always smiling and laughing and joking around each other in games we make a mistake. Okay we got it, then we laugh and cheer for each other.”

Rohrback says the way they set an example for young athletes will be their lasting legacy.

“I think winning the first one and experiencing that feeling, I think really drove them more,” Rohrback said. “I felt that sense of focus and determination from them more this year.”