The Liberty girls’ volleyball team continues to build momentum while keeping its focus on the bigger picture with a 9-1 record heading into the week.

The Hurricanes picked up a pair of 3-0 victories last week, sweeping Freedom before doing the same against Allen.

While the Hurricanes have enjoyed a successful start to the season, coach Fernando Torres said the team’s approach has remained centered on improvement rather than simply looking at its record.

“This group thrives on competition,” Torres said. “They look at it as an opportunity to show how they are improving as a team.”

That mindset will be particularly important as Liberty prepares for the challenges ahead.

Torres said his players welcome opportunities to test themselves against strong competition and remain focused when facing premier programs.

“When we get a chance to play a premier program like Emmaus, I know they’re locked in and excited to test themselves,” he said. “We have celebrated our progress but haven’t let anything distract us from the fact that we’re not a finished product. There are plenty of things we can improve upon as a team to give ourselves the best chance at attaining our goals.”

One of the biggest areas of emphasis has been defense.

After reviewing previous performances, Liberty’s coaches and players identified opportunities to be more disciplined and consistent defensively.

“We felt that as a team we were leaving a ton of effort and discipline points on the defensive side that could set the tone for us and help spark our offense,” Torres said. “We believe these kinds of points, if not valued enough, could cost us the opportunity to play in the big matches late in the season that we want to earn the right to be a part of.”

The Hurricanes will put that work to the test Tuesday when East Stroudsburg South visits Liberty. They will then travel to Northampton on Friday.

While Liberty won’t look too far ahead, it’s hard not to peak at the schedule and see next Monday’s showdown against Bethlehem Catholic (10-1).

The Hawks suffered their first loss of the season last week, getting swept by Parkland last Saturday.

That loss finished off a week that featured wins over Northampton and Emmaus.

Becahi faces Pleasant Valley and Easton this week, as they look to get back on track.

Freedom (7-5) picked up two wins last week over Whitehall and Dieruff, sandwiched by a loss to Liberty.

The Pates look to stay on track towards a district berth with contests this week against Stroudsburg and Nazareth.