by Alex Le ‘17

After losing the first two sets to the Howard Lions, the Warriors’ championship aspirations were looking bleak in the quarterfinals of the 4A volleyball playoffs. Howard, who had beaten Sherwood last year in the playoffs, were up once again with all the momentum on their side to close out No. 1-seeded Sherwood.

With their backs against the wall and the season on the line, the Warriors stepped up. In a tight third set, Sherwood won 25-23 behind senior captains Kaiya Heyliger-Powell and Megan Wilson. In the ensuing set, they continued to assert their will upon Howard, winning 25-16. In the final set, using the energy from the home crowd, the Warriors successfully came back and beat the Lions 15-12 and moved onto the quarterfinals.

Adversity has been no stranger to the Warriors this season. Having lost four senior starters and hiring new head coach Jacob Achten, it was unknown how well Sherwood would perform this year. The roster featured play ers from every grade level, and inexperience was a big area of concern. But Wilson and Heyliger-Powell refused to let the team’s youth deter them from their state championship aspirations. “We made sure not to pressure them too much, but at the same time tried to spread our knowledge of the game with them. We expected a lot of them because we knew that they would be able to execute,” said Wilson.

Wilson and Heyliger-Powell were vital for the team not only during the game, but by exemplifying leadership and poise throughout the season: “They lead by example in practice, in school, and during games and the main thing is that the other girls followed them and fought hard with them and never gave up in any situation,” said Achten.

During the playoffs, the younger Warriors did not disappoint. With strong performances from junior outside hitters Madison Bliss and Sarah Le, freshmen libero Sydney Spillman and middle blocker Grace Aceto, Sherwood throttled Western 3-0 in the second round after a first round bye, defeated Howard in a gut-wrenching comeback 3-2, and obliterated Catonsville 3-0 to win the 4A North Regional Championship.

In the semi-finals, the Warriors’ perseverance was once more tested against the Arundel Wildcats, as they found themselves down 2-1. However, comebacks was the theme of the season for the Warriors, who were able to recover from their poor start and win in five sets to clinch their spot in the state championship.

In a rematch against the Northwest Jaguars, whom the Warriors had defeated in the regular season, Sherwood played three hard-fought sets. Despite strong performances from Wilson and Heyliger-Powell, the Warriors were unable to block the outside hitters of Northwest, ultimately losing the state championship in three sets, 25-19, 25-10, and 25-17. Despite losing, the coach remained proud of his team: “The team worked hard and showed the dedication that it takes to make a championship run,” said Achten, “For having a young team, they were mentally as strong a team as I have ever coached.”

Although it was a disappointing loss, Sherwood has an abundance of potential to have a strong season next year. Though senior captains Wilson and Heyliger-Powell will be missed, they helped continue a winning culture for Sherwood volleyball for years to come.