It was like a scene out of a Hallmark movie.

Students steamed into the hallways from their classrooms, cheering and hugging each other. And at the center of it all were sisters Talia and Violet DiMichele.

The scene, which no one on Bensalem High School’s girls volleyball team could have predicted just a couple years ago, was just one of many from what could be the plot of a feel-good movie.

A long time in the making

Four years ago, Violet had just finished her senior season on the Bensalem volleyball team. The Owls finished 5-17, their best record during Violet’s four seasons on the team.

“It was tough because growing up my dad (Lou DiMichele) had always been my coach and he didn’t like to lose,” Violet said. “And at the time, most people thought of Bensalem girls volleyball was like a joke.”

With unfinished business at hand, Violet returned to the familiar gym just months after graduation. Living at home and taking college classes during the height of COVID, Violet decided to put her spare time to good use when she saw the Owls were looking for a coach.

Violet found herself coaching players who had been her teammates just the year before.

“This year is the first time that I don’t have any players who were previously my teammates,” said Violet, who started as the JV coach before being promoted to head varsity coach last season. “Now I’m just their coach.”

There is one exception to that, of course.

“Coaching my sister has its pros and cons,” said Violet, who also coached her sister Brooke DiMichele last season. “People always think you’re playing favorites, but I told Talia that I'm going to do what’s best for the team. I’m actually harder on her than any other player.”

Playing meaningful matches for the first time

And Talia has more than earned her starting spot. In their final two matches of the regular season, must-wins for a chance at the playoffs, the setter tallied 43 assists and eight aces.

Those matches were the biggest in program history for a team that had never made the district playoffs.

“One of the biggest changes I made was starting offseason workouts,” Violet said. “We never did anything in the offseason when I was on the team. We just showed up to practice and started from there.”

In addition, Violet helped establish, and now coaches, an AAU team that allows her players to play competitively during the offseason.

“The team now spends most of the year together,” Violet said. “They know each other very well and are best friends.”

The additional workload was embraced by the Owls’ players, who desperately wanted to improve and share their pride for the team.

Last year, the Owls finished 9-11, six more victories than they had earned the previous fall. This year they went 12-10 in the regular season, their first winning record in history. But the team’s other goal, earning a playoff berth, seemed like it was going to have to wait until next year.

Following their final regular-season match, Violet, who works as a student aide at the high school while planning a future career as a flight attendent, spent an angst-filled day at school hoping for a miracle.

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“I was obsessively checking the district rankings all day and it looked like we were going to miss it by 0.12 points,” Violet said.

She wasn’t the only one refreshing the website all day.

“After I had kind of given up, Talia sent me a screenshot showing that we had moved up to 24th (the final spot in Class 4A),” Violet said. ”We made it.”

“Realizing we had made it was the best moment,” said Talia. “I was showing my friends and teacher and everyone was so excited.”

Cue the previously mentioned Hallmark moment.

“Their teachers let the team members out of class to celebrate," Violet said. "They knew how big this was."

Matched up against No. 9 CB West, the Owls didn’t come away with the win, but it was an unforgettable experience for the team.

“Talia took the loss the hardest,” Violet said. “But it was a great learning opportunity. A lot of the girls play other sports at Bensalem, but it was the first high school playoff game any of them experienced.”

The disappointment couldn't erase the pride and excitement that Talia and her teammates felt when they took the court to make history for their school and team. In fact, the experience even outweighed another treasured teenage milestone.

"I got my drivers license the day after the playoff game," Talia said. "The playoff game was much more exciting."

It was also important for the team to show their classmates and the community what they had been working for the past two years.

“Our team is so hardworking and we proved that this is not the same team as in years past,” Talia said. “We had a lot of support from the school, and we showed that Bensalem deserves respect.”

Her commitment to offseason volleyball has meant a packed schedule for Talia, who is also a starting guard for the Owls’ basketball team.

She often has back-to-back practices for both sports, and rarely arrives home before 9 p.m.

The entire DiMichele family is involved in making sure Talia has transportation, snacks, and time for a nap. And it’s more than worth it for all involved.

“Violet has completely turned this program around,” Talia said. “She pushes me to do my best every day.”

For Violet, experiencing this with her sister has made it even more satisfying.

“Talia is my best friend inside and outside of volleyball,” Violet said.

And their father couldn’t be happier. Well, almost.

“He would have been a little happier if we had won (the playoff game),” Violet said with a laugh.

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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bensalem High School volleyball thrives with coach Violet DiMichele