Walsingham volleyball hope to build on state berth

By John Harvey

HarveySports757@yahoo.com

WILLIAMSBURG – Walsingham Academy’s volleyball team qualified for the Virginia Independent Schools Division II state tournament last fall.

New coach George Bottles hopes to carry on that tradition in 2014, despite losing three starters from last year’s squad.

“The group, in general, is an inexperienced team that will definitely get better with time during the course of the year,” Bottles said. “We will not be an overpowering team. We will need to compete via intelligent shot selection, tough serving and tenacious defense.”

Emma Schellpeper leads a talent group of seniors returning to this year’s team. The 5-foot-10 outside hitter was a second-team all-state selection last year and will be the featured player in the Trojans’ offensive sets.

Jenna Hamra will take over the team’s duties at setter. The 5-foot-7 senior has soft hands and really has a good grasp of Bottles’ complex offensive set. “Emma and Jenna played for the Williamsburg Volleyball Club’s 17U team last year and are very solid players I can build around.”

Outside hitter Lisette Brondyke and defensive specialist Kristen Vogelbein also return to the mix. Brondyke, an all-state track star, will give the team another athletic outside hitter. Vogelbein has great court awareness and will serve as the team’s top passer from the backline.

 Bottles said he has some intriguing youngsters on the roster that could see playing time right away. He’s primary focus in preseason practice has been passing as he looks to find a starting libero. 

Generating depth throughout the program is also a must. Bottles noted that attendance was slightly up over last year, which is a sign of growth. “We are in the planning stages of implementing a middle school program to introduce young athletes to the sport with a minimal tie commitment and competitive schedule,” he said. “Hopefully we can introduce this as a feeder program to sustain consistent number of athletes for the volleyball varsity pipeline.”

The Trojans will open up their season on Tuesday, Aug. 26 at Tidewater conference of Independent Schools rival Norfolk Collegiate. Game time is slated for 6:30 p.m.

Contact me at HarveySports757@yahoo.com or @HarveySports757 via Twitter.