GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Monument Mountain girls volleyball team is gearing up for a playoff game this weekend. It will take a big effort to earn a win and maybe a bigger one just to get to their opponent on Nantucket. 

"I really didn't think it was going to happen, honestly," said Kate Consolati, one of the team’s captains. "I thought they would try to move it closer, because that's just like, really far away. It's never happened before, I don't think. So it's definitely crazy, but I think it'll be fun, I'm excited."

This is the first year of a new statewide tournament format eliminating geographic regions, making these types of match-ups possible.

The team is taking a coach bus to Hyannis Friday, staying there overnight, and then hopping on the ferry to Nantucket Saturday morning.

"Our parents and our booster club have done a lot of work to provide some assistance,” said Karl Zigmand, Monument Mountain Regional High School athletic director. “They felt, wisely, that the team needed a day to just acclimate and get that first trip under their belt so they'll be hopefully a little bit more fresh in the morning of the match."

For the seniors on the team, including captains Consolati and Brianna Ayala, the trip is a memorable way to mark their last season.

"I feel like this team is really close, and so I think it's a good group to go with, it'll be a lot of fun," said Consolati.

"Yeah, I can just already imagine all the fun we're going to have and what's going to happen there," said Ayala. "It'll just be fun and everyone's excited."

While the experience will be fun, this will also be the first playoff game for everyone on the team, and they're working as hard as ever to make sure they don't get distracted. 

"We talked about focusing and that we're there for a reason," said Ayala. "Even though we're still going to be there having fun, we also want to do well in our game and just focus on that too."