Loudoun County Volleyball Returns for an Encore

Raiders Open Title Defense Against Handley

By Paul Tenorio

Friday, August 22, 2008

In the gym where last season the Raiders had cruised through a 28-0 season that ended with a Virginia AA state championship, the Loudoun County volleyball team was lined up in front of its coaches Thursday, weights in hand.

Soon a rhythmic beat came over the speaker systems, and within seconds the girls were moving through aerobics, led by Coach Jenica Matthias. Almost perfectly in sync, the lines moved through several exercises, with only a misstep here and there.

"We did that routine yesterday," said Matthias after the aerobics were finished; hinting things hadn't gone as smoothly the day before.

The aerobics were introduced after Matthias read an article in which Oympic beach volleyball player Todd Rogers said aerobics were especially useful for volleyball players. The exercises, while a bit unconventional, have become a part of the Raiders' regular practice routine in preparation for a season in which they will wear the target of defending state champions.

County, which opens its season at home Friday at 6 p.m. against Handley, returns five seniors and one junior from last year's team but graduated seven from that squad, most notably All-Met Player of the Year Morgan Petkovich (Villanova), All-State outside hitter Marguerite Hanna (Azusa Pacific University) and libero Rebecca Dancy (Christopher Newport).

Despite the key losses, players and coaches said the goal to return to the state playoffs has not changed and the belief among the team is that the Raiders have the talent to be in the hunt to repeat.

"This year we're going to have a really young team but we have some really good players coming up," senior Rochelle Latka said. "I think we'll be able to pull it through [to states]. It's going to be a building year, and we're going to have to work a lot harder to get [as] far as we did last year. We lost some power hitters, but we have other people coming up."

Expected to step into a bigger role this season is William and Mary-bound senior Shaylin O'Connell, who emerged as a major threat for the Raiders during their run to the title. This season, O'Connell is expected to be the go-to hitter for County.

"We're just trying to make her very versatile along the net," Matthias said. "And also using her expertise to help out other people in her position to help her get better."

Other key returners are Latka, senior setters Kerry Sarver and Katie Martin, senior outside hitter Katie Gloe and junior outside hitter Juliane Hanna.

Junior Emily Vandegrift, who is moving up from junior varsity, is expected to provide strength as an outside hitter, while sophomore Rachel Arigo is another young player expected to contribute.

That youth mixed with the experience coming back, while creating an excitement around the team this season, also brings with it unknowns such as how the newcomers will handle the pressure of big matches and how the team will shoulder the expectations of repeating and carrying on the legacy of such a successful program.

But if the team can mesh as quickly as they picked up their pre-practice aerobics routine, opponents around the region can expect more of the same from Loudoun County this year.

"Gaining new blood and getting them prepared to play at our high level varsity is our main goal," Matthias said. "And so far so good. We're really excited about the new players that we added to our team and the ones that we have are great models and they're just getting stronger."

Extra Points

By Paul Tenorio and Matt Brooks