Post by Scott Zanni on Aug 27, 2008 7:47:25 GMT -5
The Gazette published their preseason volleyball article today. The article appears in all editions of the Gazette with each edition focusing on the teams in the geographic area the paper is published in. The article I've copied below is from Olney (along with the link). It has a few errors, but as always Chay Rao (Gazette reporter) gives volleyball great coverage.
Article:
Girls volleyball: Looking for a spike in results
In 2005 and '06, Montgomery County sent an average of three teams a year to the state semifinals and came away with back-to-back state championships, when Gaithersburg and then Sherwood won Class 4A titles.
Last year, that streak ended when Broadneck defeated Wootton in the state final. Is the county poised for a comeback, or is it in for another year without a title?
"The thing that I keep reminding people is that [before 2003] we went almost a decade without a state championship," Magruder coach Scott Zanni said. "Last year was not a big deal. In fact, the county is wide open again this year."
Several teams have a shot at returning to county to the top of the state volleyball scene, including Poolesville, which returns 11 players to a squad that lost just once a year ago. Magruder and Gaithersburg are seasoned and playoff-tested, while Blake, not so long ago an also-ran in the county, is emerging as a team that has a chance to be in the state playoffs. A year ago, the Bengals upset Magruder to make it to the 4A West Region Final.
"We are a team that does not get a lot of recognition, but we were right there," Blake coach Leigh Tinsley said. "It really feels like there are a lot of teams that have a chance this year."
Blake hopes to start off this season where it left off last, as a team unified in the pursuit of a title. The Bengals came up short a year ago, but with the return of senior outside hitter Hunter Schallhorn, senior setter Micaela Perez Ferrero and junior outside hitter Caitlin Mitchell, they have experience on their side.
"The second half of last year was like a dream come true," Tinsley said. "We practiced well and we played well, and it has just continued on into this season."
Nine of the Bengals 12 players come from club programs, making it easier to put a skilled team out on the floor. What Blake lacks in height at the net — Mitchell, at 5-foot-10, is among their tallest players — it makes up for in play on the back line and passing.
"The girls got a taste of winning last year," Tinsley said. "They are excited at their prospects."
Magruder, on the other hand, has been working hard to exorcise some demons. In the past two years, the Colonels have had the top seed in the 4A West Region playoffs, only to lose in the semifinals.
"We've taken some bad losses over the last couple of years and I am still irritated about it," Zanni said. "I think that the girls have sort of seen that in practice. I am a little louder this year."
Though the Colonels graduated leading hitter Alex Coleman, they have middle hitter Corrie Smoot returning, as well as Andrea Fort, who will move to libero this year. Michelle Fowle steps in to play outside hitter.
"We are a little more balanced than we have been in the recent past," Zanni said. "I don't know if we have that go-to player that will take 50 swings at the ball, but we have a lot of kids that can hit it. We're deeper."
Two years ago, Sherwood was on the top of the volleyball world, but last year, it came back to earth, as new faces tried to find their way through the season. One of them was coach Brian McCarty, who in his first year guided his team through a season that saw them steadily improve. McCarty returns to the Warriors for another campaign, and his players come back a year wiser.
"Our goal this year is to get better with each game we play," McCarty said. "If we play to the best of our ability, the wins and losses will take care of itself."
Returning for Sherwood are senior outside hitter Erin McMakin, junior hitter Robbin Lee and senior hitter Taryn Scafide, and they will try to bolster the offense on a team known for its defense. If they can do that, the Warriors may be tough to beat.
"We need to put our passes and sets on the money," McCarty said. "We need to be aggressive and give ourselves multiple options on each play."
Paint Branch took a step forward last year, posting a three-match improvement and a winning record. The challenge now is to see that if the Panthers can improve on that. Setter Elaina Straub returns to steady the offense.
"She's a strength," Paint Branch coach Nicole Shields said. "Our team communicates really well, and they are a hard-working group of girls that want to win."
Noelee Wishart, a senior, will be the leading hitter for the team, but outside hitter Kate McGrew and middle hitter Sammy Fean give the Panthers depth.
Kennedy is looking to improve from last year, a season that coach Wanda Hsiung termed "uneven." Many of the players on last year's team had been brought up from JV en masse, in an effort to get their feet wet.
With a year under their belt, the hope is that a few more wins will come. Leading hitter Tess Stultz, who plays in the middle, returns, as does senior outside hitter Morgan Lee. Setter Patricia Kingkeo has also made strides as a passer.
"We have some players that have improved," Hsiung said. "Now we have to see if things will fall into place."
Down the street, Northwood hopes to continue its upward improvement.
"We evolved last year, but now we are looking for more consistency," coach Ray Trail said. "We lost five players and we might struggle to get things going, but we don't expect a lot of dropoff."
Lizzie Sauber leads the attack, and after playing club volleyball over the summer, may be poised to be a player to watch in the county. Setter and outside hitter Kathy Pomeroy, also a senior, adds experience.
Springbrook spent last year learning the game, with the help of coach Alexis Reed, who returned to her alma mater. Now in her second year at the helm, Reed has some higher hopes for the team.
"Last year we had only four players that were returners, but this year we have seven," Reed said. "We have more experience and the team works well together. We did a good job of keeping the ball off the floor, but offense is the name of the game. Putting the ball down and hitting aggressively are going to be the keys to our success."
Outside hitter Siani Wong will be asked to finish points, as will sophomore hitters Brytni and Whytni Christ. Setter Aysha Hsu will direct the attack.
"I'd like to take the wins and losses from last season and flip-flop the numbers," Reed said. "The girls are extremely enthusiastic about this season."
At Einstein, only two players return from a year ago. Yet coach Emily Hallam calls setter Tatiana Sanchez and outside hitter Isabelle Martin, "the emotional centers of the team."
"I want them to make sure that they are enjoying the experience of volleyball," Hallam said. "I want every player to end the season better than they started."
In the private schools, the county representatives in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference represent two ends of the spectrum. While Holy Cross hopes to rebound from back-to-back losing seasons, Good Counsel comes back as potentially the most talented team in Montgomery County.
A midseason showdown with Magruder may answer that question definitively, but in the meantime, the defending WCAC champions return setter Brighid Casey and leading hitter Becky West. Younger players, like sophomore Francesca Emanuele, will also contribute as the Falcons look to win yet another title.
Article:
Girls volleyball: Looking for a spike in results
In 2005 and '06, Montgomery County sent an average of three teams a year to the state semifinals and came away with back-to-back state championships, when Gaithersburg and then Sherwood won Class 4A titles.
Last year, that streak ended when Broadneck defeated Wootton in the state final. Is the county poised for a comeback, or is it in for another year without a title?
"The thing that I keep reminding people is that [before 2003] we went almost a decade without a state championship," Magruder coach Scott Zanni said. "Last year was not a big deal. In fact, the county is wide open again this year."
Several teams have a shot at returning to county to the top of the state volleyball scene, including Poolesville, which returns 11 players to a squad that lost just once a year ago. Magruder and Gaithersburg are seasoned and playoff-tested, while Blake, not so long ago an also-ran in the county, is emerging as a team that has a chance to be in the state playoffs. A year ago, the Bengals upset Magruder to make it to the 4A West Region Final.
"We are a team that does not get a lot of recognition, but we were right there," Blake coach Leigh Tinsley said. "It really feels like there are a lot of teams that have a chance this year."
Blake hopes to start off this season where it left off last, as a team unified in the pursuit of a title. The Bengals came up short a year ago, but with the return of senior outside hitter Hunter Schallhorn, senior setter Micaela Perez Ferrero and junior outside hitter Caitlin Mitchell, they have experience on their side.
"The second half of last year was like a dream come true," Tinsley said. "We practiced well and we played well, and it has just continued on into this season."
Nine of the Bengals 12 players come from club programs, making it easier to put a skilled team out on the floor. What Blake lacks in height at the net — Mitchell, at 5-foot-10, is among their tallest players — it makes up for in play on the back line and passing.
"The girls got a taste of winning last year," Tinsley said. "They are excited at their prospects."
Magruder, on the other hand, has been working hard to exorcise some demons. In the past two years, the Colonels have had the top seed in the 4A West Region playoffs, only to lose in the semifinals.
"We've taken some bad losses over the last couple of years and I am still irritated about it," Zanni said. "I think that the girls have sort of seen that in practice. I am a little louder this year."
Though the Colonels graduated leading hitter Alex Coleman, they have middle hitter Corrie Smoot returning, as well as Andrea Fort, who will move to libero this year. Michelle Fowle steps in to play outside hitter.
"We are a little more balanced than we have been in the recent past," Zanni said. "I don't know if we have that go-to player that will take 50 swings at the ball, but we have a lot of kids that can hit it. We're deeper."
Two years ago, Sherwood was on the top of the volleyball world, but last year, it came back to earth, as new faces tried to find their way through the season. One of them was coach Brian McCarty, who in his first year guided his team through a season that saw them steadily improve. McCarty returns to the Warriors for another campaign, and his players come back a year wiser.
"Our goal this year is to get better with each game we play," McCarty said. "If we play to the best of our ability, the wins and losses will take care of itself."
Returning for Sherwood are senior outside hitter Erin McMakin, junior hitter Robbin Lee and senior hitter Taryn Scafide, and they will try to bolster the offense on a team known for its defense. If they can do that, the Warriors may be tough to beat.
"We need to put our passes and sets on the money," McCarty said. "We need to be aggressive and give ourselves multiple options on each play."
Paint Branch took a step forward last year, posting a three-match improvement and a winning record. The challenge now is to see that if the Panthers can improve on that. Setter Elaina Straub returns to steady the offense.
"She's a strength," Paint Branch coach Nicole Shields said. "Our team communicates really well, and they are a hard-working group of girls that want to win."
Noelee Wishart, a senior, will be the leading hitter for the team, but outside hitter Kate McGrew and middle hitter Sammy Fean give the Panthers depth.
Kennedy is looking to improve from last year, a season that coach Wanda Hsiung termed "uneven." Many of the players on last year's team had been brought up from JV en masse, in an effort to get their feet wet.
With a year under their belt, the hope is that a few more wins will come. Leading hitter Tess Stultz, who plays in the middle, returns, as does senior outside hitter Morgan Lee. Setter Patricia Kingkeo has also made strides as a passer.
"We have some players that have improved," Hsiung said. "Now we have to see if things will fall into place."
Down the street, Northwood hopes to continue its upward improvement.
"We evolved last year, but now we are looking for more consistency," coach Ray Trail said. "We lost five players and we might struggle to get things going, but we don't expect a lot of dropoff."
Lizzie Sauber leads the attack, and after playing club volleyball over the summer, may be poised to be a player to watch in the county. Setter and outside hitter Kathy Pomeroy, also a senior, adds experience.
Springbrook spent last year learning the game, with the help of coach Alexis Reed, who returned to her alma mater. Now in her second year at the helm, Reed has some higher hopes for the team.
"Last year we had only four players that were returners, but this year we have seven," Reed said. "We have more experience and the team works well together. We did a good job of keeping the ball off the floor, but offense is the name of the game. Putting the ball down and hitting aggressively are going to be the keys to our success."
Outside hitter Siani Wong will be asked to finish points, as will sophomore hitters Brytni and Whytni Christ. Setter Aysha Hsu will direct the attack.
"I'd like to take the wins and losses from last season and flip-flop the numbers," Reed said. "The girls are extremely enthusiastic about this season."
At Einstein, only two players return from a year ago. Yet coach Emily Hallam calls setter Tatiana Sanchez and outside hitter Isabelle Martin, "the emotional centers of the team."
"I want them to make sure that they are enjoying the experience of volleyball," Hallam said. "I want every player to end the season better than they started."
In the private schools, the county representatives in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference represent two ends of the spectrum. While Holy Cross hopes to rebound from back-to-back losing seasons, Good Counsel comes back as potentially the most talented team in Montgomery County.
A midseason showdown with Magruder may answer that question definitively, but in the meantime, the defending WCAC champions return setter Brighid Casey and leading hitter Becky West. Younger players, like sophomore Francesca Emanuele, will also contribute as the Falcons look to win yet another title.