Senior Megan Milke goes for a difficult spike against Clarksburg.

by Declan Rooney ‘25

Varsity volleyball graduated the core of last year’s team but whilst having a new, more inexperienced team, the dream remains the same: winning the state tournament. The loss of Meghan Wessling, Gabbi Casaus, Audrey Strosnider, and Camryn Lineberger to graduation meant that the next group of players had to step up. The team this year is relying on seniors Ellie Russell, Savannah Weisman, Olivia Hardy, and Megan Milke, as well as junior Vlada Costenco to maintain Sherwood’s reputation as consistently being a top volleyball team in the county.

“Every day at practice, the team gives 100 percent and as a result, we continue to improve. They work as a team and want to play for each other,” said Coach Kaitlyn Jain. “We have a great group of seniors who have been leaders so far.”

After a loss to Wootton in the second game of the season, the Warriors bounced back and notched wins over tough opponents such as Magruder. The team finished the regular season with a record of 11-3. Big games at the end of the season included the annual ‘Dig Pink’ game, which was at home against Damascus on October 18. The Warriors were triumphant in that game, topping the Hornets 3 sets to 0 and clutching a big late-season win in their stylish pink jerseys to show support for breast cancer awareness.

The Warriors played another difficult game at home on October 23 against Clarksburg. Clarksburg was ranked third in the county, just ahead of Sherwood, but unfortunately Sherwood failed to prevail on their senior night. ”The game could have gone either way,” said Jain.

While Sherwood has a very solid squad, they will face significant challenges in the playoffs. Opponents like Wootton, who share a region with Sherwood, will be the main obstacle towards having a shot at advancing to the state playoffs. “The winner of the Region [in the playoffs] has a great shot of winning the state tournament,” said Jain.

The Warriors still have a lot in front of them before the regional final. “We’re not looking past Magruder, who we will have to beat to reach that final [regional] game,” said Jain. “We played really well the first time we met and they will want revenge.”