Volleyball Toughens Up

Adam Pfeiffer ‘20

At Sherwood, the girls’ volleyball team has a tradition of winning. State titles in 2006, 2010, 2011, and 2012. A 2016 state runner-up finish, and a state semi-finalist finish last year. Naturally, more success means higher expectations from the community and the players themselves, but new Coach Sydney West remains unfazed by the pressure. “I haven’t felt much pressure because I went to this school, I know the expectations,” said West.

West coached the JV girls’ team last season, and following the departure of Coach Jacob Achten, she was promoted to the varsity position. A four-year varsity player and two-time Maryland 4A state champion, West knows very well what it takes for a team to be successful. After losing the first two games of the season to two great teams, Wootton and B-CC, West regrouped her players.

“We were able to watch film and pinpoint what we needed to work on, such as our team’s mental toughness and confidence, playing aggressively, and . . . serving and serve [receiving],” said West.

The practice has paid off, with the girls dropping just one set en route to seven straight wins, before losing 3-2 Magruder, who is unbeaten. The team rebounded with a 3-1 win over Blair on October 11, the annual “Dig Pink” night to donate to breast cancer.

So far this season, the girls have come close to defeating some of the top teams in the county, but have fallen just short. This is due to a point of weakness West has noticed, which is mental toughness. After picking up on this trait, it has been a major point of emphasis for West. “Being aware of your mental strength and working on it constantly is the only way to fix [it],” said West.

Knowing the girls need become tougher to win against the top teams in Maryland, West has placed a huge emphasis on improving it, and is something she preaches every day. “The girls probably get annoyed with how much I speak to being mentally tough, I can see they have all gotten a tougher skin,” said West.