West Morris understood team concept

December 19, 2008 10:56 am

Whenever Allison Gutkowski looked down at her sneaker during a volleyball match, she saw a piece of yarn tied to it. That yarn was a symbol of the West Morris volleyball team, many strands that became stronger when wrapped around each other. Each of the Highlanders had her own strand, a reminder of how each player had to play her individual role "to hold it together for everyone."

Added Gutkowski, "By ourselves, we could be easily broken, but when we're the one big piece of yarn, it's hard to break. Each time we would look down, we'd see we have to stick together."

That's just what West Morris did this season. The 2008 All Daily Record Volleyball Team of the Year built a 23-6 season, including the Iron Hills Conference-Iron Division title, and trips to the Morris County Tournament and NJSIAA Group III finals. Though the Highlanders didn't pick up any hardware this fall, the memorable journey was its own reward.

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