Penguin Playbook 9/29

Volleyball: The varsity squad put up a dominant 11-1-1 record in the last two weeks, highlighted with a championship win at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf Invitational Tournament. In one grueling, six-hour day, the Penguins defeated E.L. Haynes, Mount Airy Christian Academy (Mount Airy, MD), Model Secondary School for the Deaf, and finally Covenant Life School (Gaithersburg, MD) to secure the tournament title. 

On top of team success, the players have put up some impressive individual numbers. 

Natalie Broquard (‘25) leads the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) in aces with 62. Freshman Kate Parker has continued to shine. She is currently third in the DCSAA in hitting percentage and leads the District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association (DCIAA) in total blocks and kills. Her 81 kills are more than double any other non-Walls player in all of the DCIAA. In fact, the top 3 leaders in total blocks in the DCIAA are all Penguin athletes - Parker, Broquard, and Taylor Brown (‘26). The Penguins 7-1 in-conference record on the season puts them second in the DCIAA standings behind 8-0 Jackson-Reed. The team’s overall record is now 14-2-1. The Penguins will face a big challenge this Friday, October 4th as they take on an 11-0 Georgetown Day School team at Georgetown Day. Penguin fans come out and support!

The junior varsity team had a strong start to the season but has struggled a little bit the last two weeks, dropping a few games against tough competition. But nonetheless the squad has had a good season, so far. Victoria Green (‘27) leads the team in kills with twelve and Jaden Davis (‘26) leads the team in aces with 26. The JV squad, too, will face Georgetown Day School on Friday as they look to build some positive momentum.

Boys soccer: After a tough start to the season, the boys squad bounced back for a strong past couple of weeks. The Penguins went 3-1, improving their record on the season to 4-5. The team recorded their first in-conference win of the year in a dominant 8-0 win against Macarthur on Monday, September 16. Ereftu Patel (‘25), one of just two seniors on the team, recorded a hat trick in the match. Recent success indicates the team has started to get used to the leadership challenge of only having two seniors. Junior Lucas Campbell has stepped up to help the seniors lead the team, all while being a key contributor in the midfield. “He’s a pretty good role model,” said Patel about Campbell. Goalie Nolan Smith (‘27) also has stepped up for the team. Smith did not play last year and was not on the roster at the beginning of the season, but joined the team when an injury left the Penguins without a goalie. Smith has been solid in goal, helping the team get through a turbulent start to the season. The team still only has an in-conference record of 1-3, making qualification for the DCIAA playoffs an uphill battle. They will have to carry their momentum into upcoming in-conference games in order to make the playoffs.

Images from Soren’s dad

Girls Soccer: In the last two weeks, the girls soccer team has gone 2-1. Following a forfeit by Macarthur, the Penguins stomped Bell 9-0, but fell to Georgetown Day School (GDS) 0-6 with some key players missing. Last week, the heavy rains in the DC area canceled their one game against National Cathedral School (NCS). However, they remain working hard at practice, looking to improve on their 5-3 record.

Neve O’Connell (‘26) had 2 goals and 2 assists against Bell to raise her season average of 0.5 goals per game and 0.5 assists per game. Eve Rebora (‘25) said about O’Connell’s recent performances, “She’s been well versed and flexible in playing both an attacking and defensive role.” They have a tune-up game against Cardozo coming up on Monday, September 30th, followed by big games on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday where they will play Sidwell and St. John’s this week.

Neve O’Connell (‘26) takes a goal kick in a match against St. Mary’s Ryken on August 30th.