Basically, Raiders Are Built to Last

By Matthew Stanmyre

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

When Loudoun County Coach Jenica Matthias took over the volleyball program in 2002, the team had not won a district title in more than a decade.

The practices that first season were rudimentary: Matthias taught the players how to pass, where to stand on the court, how to make adjustments at the net. She was patient, speaking slowly and softly, as the players learned how the game was supposed to be played.

"Literally, it was teaching them the mechanics of volleyball, breaking everything down," Matthias said.

Seven years later, second-ranked Loudoun County is among the finest programs in Virginia, a notion cemented with its 31-29, 25-21, 29-27 victory over Hidden Valley on Saturday in the AA championship game at Siegel Center in Richmond.

The Raiders (27-1) have won consecutive AA titles and have made the championship match three years in a row. During that span, Loudoun County has compiled an 85-4 record.

In 2002, winning championships "wasn't even something that was on my mind," Matthias said. "It wasn't even a thought. We were just trying to teach them the game and help them improve day to day."

Matthias is the architect who has built Loudoun County into a statewide power. She learned the game as a 10th-grader at Jefferson (W.Va.) High, where her athleticism and ability to quickly absorb information made her a versatile standout. When a teammate was injured or couldn't make a tournament, Matthias often filled in, no matter the position. She played in every spot - setter, middle hitter and outside hitter - before inheriting a similar role during her career at Shepherd (W.Va.) University.

"As a coach, being able to have played all those positions gives me confidence to teach my players what they need to know to be successful on the court," Matthias said.

Only one season after she ran Loudoun County through those fundamental practices, the Raiders advanced to the AA semifinals for the first time. The program blossomed from there: Once the players had the fundamentals down, Matthias added grueling conditioning programs in and out of season, open gyms throughout the year and even more intricate practices.

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Raiders Repeat as State Champs

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Loudoun County's Shaylin O'Connell sends the ball over as teammate Katie Martin backs her up. (John McDonnell)

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Loudoun County's Emily Vandegrift, center, scores against Hidden Valley's Katie Martin, left, and Kathleen Horvath. (John McDonnell)

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Loudoun County's Shaylin O'Connell and Emily Vandegrift defend against a shot by Hidden Valley's Sarah Church. (John McDonnell)

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Loudoun County's Hannah Arnold, left, and Robin Marsala celebrate a point scored. (John McDonnell)

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Loudoun County's Kathleen Horvath watches a Hidden Valley shot go out of bounds. (John McDonnell)

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Members of the Loudound County volleyball team celebrate on the bench while waiting for the trophy ceremony. (John McDonnell)

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Members of the Loudound County Volleyball team celebrates on the bech waiting for the trophy ceremony. (John McDonnell)

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Loudoun County's Rachel Arigo spikes the ball over Hidden Valley's Smantha Klostermann. (John McDonnell)

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Loudoun County's Juliane Hanna is airborne as she serves the ball. (John McDonnell)

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Loudoun County senior Shaylin O'Connell hugs Coach Jenica Matthias, who fell ill halfway through the match. (John McDonnell)

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The Loudoun County volleyball team poses with the state championship trophy. The Raiders have won back-to-back Virginia AA state titles. (John McDonnell)

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"Our practices are so hard," said middle hitter Shaylin O'Connell, who had 16 kills and 10 blocks against Hidden Valley. "The players want to practice hard, our coaches coach us hard every day, so I think what we do in practice affects our play."

Loudoun County's program reloads rather than rebuilds. After graduating All-Met Player of the Year Morgan Petkovich and second-teamer Marguerite Hanna, the Raiders smoothly transitioned to the next era with a team this season that dropped only 12 of 95 games.

When Matthias took over at Loudoun County, the focus was on learning. Now, the Raiders expect to contend for championships each season.

"The things that we do work, and the girls have bought into it," Matthias said. "We're pretty pleased."

Extra Points

By Paul Tenorio and Matt Brooks