"It's Like Another Home"

With the May graduation of Gabby Chen, Taylor Domson, and Jordan Deane, Rose White, Collegiate’s volleyball coach, had the unenviable task of replacing three stalwarts whose dedication, competitive spirit, technical proficiency, and leadership played a vital role in the program’s upward trajectory the past five years, which, last fall, culminated with the Cougars’ 20-3 record, second straight League of Independent Schools tournament championship, and sixth place ranking in the final VISAA poll.

 

“I think everybody was a little bit nervous to see them graduate,” said White, the 2022 LIS Coach of the Year. “What really happened was that the juniors who played behind them were excited to be able to show that they’re equally as talented, equally as competitive, and equally as capable of taking over.”

 

With two matches remaining in the 2023 regular season, the Cougars stand 19-3 overall, 11-0 and in first place in the LIS, and tied for second with Bishop O’Connell (Arlington) in the latest VISAA poll behind No. 1 Flint Hill (Oakton).

 

Barring some unforeseen development, they’ll play their LIS tournament and early round state tournament matches in Jacobs Gym.

 

White’s crew has high expectations, for sure, but do those expectations create pressure? Depends on how you define pressure.

        

“I like expectations,” said Abby Mayr, a senior setter and co-captain. “Last year’s seniors were really important to our team. Having the expectation to play up to their standard has really helped us be the best that we can be. If you’re playing or if you’re on the bench, we all just want to help each other. The energy everyone brings is amazing, and I really look forward to being together with everyone.”

 

In 2019, White’s first year as head coach, the Cougars finished 15-7. In 2020, the COVID fall, they went 5-2. In 2021, they went 16-5 and won the LIS tournament.

 

“My first two years on the team, we weren’t in the position we are now,” said Gracie Gordon, a senior outside hitter. “We were behind some of these teams we’ve been beating recently. It’s nice to finally be on top.

        

“We certainly have a lot of really good players with a lot of experience. Not only that, the biggest thing is our chemistry. All four years I’ve been on the team, that’s what’s made us good.”

 

Technically, the Cougars have improved in several areas.

 

“What we do well is play really good defense and extend rallies,” White said. “We talk about that a lot. Let’s keep the ball in play. Let’s make smart decisions.”

 

There’s room for improvement, of course.

 

“The next couple of weeks, we’ll look to diversify our offense so that we’re not having to rely on the same one or two people to get us kills. Everybody’s had at least one match that they’ve been an offensive threat. Now, we’re trying to get everybody to be an offensive threat every single match.”

 

The Cougars have recorded 171 aces in their 22 games. Freshman Ashley Grace Johnstone leads the team with 38. Gordon averages 4.1 kills per set and has 222 total. Kyla Coffey is second with 129. Mayr averages 7.2 assists per set and has 415 so far this season. Libero Caroline Zandler has recorded a team-leading 3.5 digs per set, 191 total. The Cougars have achieved a 60.25 side-out percentage and held opponents to 42.37 percent.

 

Statistics bear out the squad’s excellence, but it’s the intangibles that give them an edge.

 

“Volleyball is fun because I like to have a competitive feeling every day,” said Coffey, a senior middle blocker. “We have a tight core [of players]. We learn from our mistakes, brush them off, and move on. I look forward to this [practice and matches] at the end of the day. It’s where you make your friends. It’s like another home.”

 

Do you notice a theme here?

 

“Everyone’s so supportive and encouraging both on and off the court,” said Elizabeth Harman, a senior setter and co-captain. “It’s a place where we can be both light-hearted and serious. We do a really good job of holding each other accountable. Everyone has a really good sense of when to be silly and goofy and when to lock in. Over the course of playing together for a lot of years, we have a good mix of that and a good relationship with each other.”

 

White agrees.

 

“They’re one thousand percent excellent human beings,” she said, motioning toward her squad warming up before a recent training session. “They treat each other with respect and kindness. They treat their coaching staff with respect and kindness, and we reciprocate it.

        

“If you want to play hard for the person next to you, that’s the most important part of [the experience]. I can’t speak highly enough about the integrity of the players on this team.”

~Weldon Bradshaw