by Adam Pfeiffer ‘20

After an early defeat to Wootton, the girls volleyball team reeled off seven straight dominant wins, improving their record to 8-1 heading into a huge matchup against Magruder on October 10. Unfortunately, the girls fell in 3 straight sets to the Colonels.

Heading into a big game against Northwest, the team was feeling good. Led by seniors Sydney Spillman and Hannah St. Laurent, the Warriors fought valiantly, but eventually fell in 3 sets to the Jaguars, before a key game in the regular season finale against Damascus. The girls dominated the Swarmin’ Hornets, winning in straight sets, building confidence and momentum heading into the 4A playoffs.

“I expect the girls to show up to each of our playoff games ready to go all out. During the playoffs teams should be hitting their peak of the season, so I am hoping we will do just that,” said Coach Sydney West.

On Monday, the girls played Kennedy at home in the regional semi-finals, winning 3-0, to advance to the regional final against Blair last night. However, the Blair game was played after this issue was sent to print, so The Warrior was unable to obtain the results.

Against Kennedy, Sherwood was able to flex their muscles, winning the first two sets with ease. “I felt like we had lots of energy which kept us going strong throughout the game,” said St. Laurent.

In the third set, the margin was much closer initially, as Kennedy refused to give up, fighting to extend their season. In the end the Warriors overwhelmed the Cavaliers, as the team’s passion truly shined.

It is tempting for a team to begin to look ahead at what could be coming in the next several weeks, with potential matchups against fellow Montgomery County foes Wootton, Northwest, and Walter Johnson. While it would be ideal to get revenge on the Jaguars or the Patriots, Sherwood is aware of how dangerous it is to look ahead, and are taking the playoffs one game at a time.

“We want to focus on [the next game] and put all our work into that. We’re trying not to get ahead of ourselves so we can perform our best for the upcoming game,” said St. Laurent.

Playing volleyball for a program with tradition such as Sherwood comes with high expectations, and state final appearances. Ultimately that is the goal, but this group of seniors want their careers to end, win or lose, knowing they left everything they had on the court.