Volleyball’s playoff campaign heads into the Area Championship against Newman Smith on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Memorial High School.

“We are going back into practice, working hard and keeping our mindset positive,” senior Regan Cooper said via text. “We still have work to do if we want to keep progressing.”

Although the Redhawks’ are ranked 15th in the state while the Trojans’ sit in the 467th seat, the girls are making an effort to remember that anything can happen no matter a team’s position on the leaderboard.

“I’m feeling pretty confident about tomorrow’s game,” junior Kyla Crawford said via text. “It’s important for us to take Newman Smith seriously because in playoffs, anything can happen and the unexpected can happen.”

Playing teams from throughout the area, the playoffs provide an experience different than that of regular season.

“Playoffs is always really exciting with the opportunity to play new teams,” senior Jessica Gordon said via text. “It brings a whole new energy to the games.”