The Woodland Park volleyball team is beginning to find its groove.

After dropping their first four matches and six of their first seven, the Panthers had won three of four heading into a road match against Colorado Springs Christian on Sept. 23.

“Our skill level has been phenomenal this year, but we have struggled a little with the mental toughness side of stuff. We’re breaking through that,” coach Carli Deleruyelle said. “It’s really great to see the girls become that cohesive unit.”

While the improvement has been significant, the level of competition during those first seven matches was daunting.

“We played some hard 4A teams. That’s tough because we’re a smaller 3A school,” Deleruyelle said. “These 4A teams are hard at the beginning of a season when you’re trying to figure out the dynamic of the team.

“Now that we’re headed more into league play, I think we can take some of these teams. I’m excited to see what happens every single match and let it all out on the court.”

The talent level is certainly there. Middle blocker Clara Levingston is leading the team in kills, blocks and hitting percentage.

“She’s been rocking it this year,” Deleruyelle said. “She’s just a junior so she has a lot of road ahead of her.”

Seniors Emma Larsen and Alexa Boring are close behind Levingston in the kills category, as is junior Savannah Moeller. Boring is the leader in service aces.

Headlining the defense is Bella Waak, a junior, who leads the team in digs. Juniors Hope Cantrell and Jazmaine Slocum have run the offense while sharing time at setter.

But in volleyball, talent is only part of the equation. The sport is so fast, cohesion is essential. To achieve cohesion, players must be able to turn direction given by coaches into actions on the court.

“Once we put that direction into effect in games, it helped us start winning,” Deleruyelle said. “We’re starting to get there. Our last few wins have proven that’s what we need.”

Deleruyelle pointed out that volleyball is a game of mistakes, and the team that best minimizes those mistakes usually takes the match.

“Making sure that communication stays from the start to the end of the match, I think that’s pretty hard to do,” she said. “You get into the zone of watching what the other team is doing in your brain but don’t communicate with the rest of the team what you’re seeing.”

The communication and cohesion are starting to materialize. That much has been clear as Woodland Park defeated Coronado, James Irwin and South Park between Sept. 11-19.

The wins have accelerated the team’s growth.

“It’s been helping with confidence. We were struggling with confidence for a while,” Deleruyelle said. “Sometimes that’s what it takes in volleyball — a little bit of confidence.”