For the first time in 30 years the Wareham’s girls volleyball team is headed to the state tournament.

The Wareham girls volleyball team qualified for the tournament for the first time in school history October 20 with their win against Old Rochester Regional High School. The last time the school qualified was in 1981, when the high school was not yet its own entity.

The team will play their last game of the season against Apponequet Regional High School Wednesday night. Currently the team is 11-7.

Seatings for the tournament will be announced next Wednesday. At that time Wareham will found out what teams they will be playing, as well as where and when.

Coach Rachael Hellyar coached the Wareham junior varsity volleyball team three years ago in a volunteer position, moving up to the head coaching position last year. The current seniors on the team were sophomores on Hellyar’s JV team, allowing her to see them grow as players.

“I knew the talent was there,” she said, adding that she had confidence that her team could meet its goal of making it to the state tournament.

Tiffany Marquez, the team captain, also said she “didn’t have a doubt” that her team, who she is very proud of, was going to make it to the state tournament.

Marquez added that she and the rest of the team are preparing for the tournament by “being ready for anything mentally and physically.”

“[The girls are] incredibly hard workers and really focused on their goals,” Hellyar said, adding that it is going to be very hard for her to say goodbye to the girls she’s coached since they were sophomores.

The Wareham volleyball team has traditionally been viewed as a “weak” program in the school, according to Hellyar. But that will not be the case since the historic season this year.

“They’ve really paved the way for the program,” she said.