by Cara Farr ’27

Girls volleyball once again has plowed through their season, only dropping two sets in their first 11 games of the season. Last year, the Warriors finished 14-2, and all six of their starters from that squad have returned for this season. For the past couple of years the team has been among the top three teams of the county along with Wootton and Richard Montgomery, but hasn’t seemed to be able to carry that momentum very far in the playoffs.

Hosting Wootton on October 12, the Warriors showed strength and resilience throughout the game. They got down 20-23 in the first and third sets and still came back to win. After winning the fourth set, the Warriors took down the undefeated Patriots 3-1 to beat Wootton for the first time in three years. Sherwood will finish up their regular season against a 11-0 RM on October 28.

As well as being undefeated so far in the regular season, Sherwood took home the championship title at the Magruder Invitational for the first time. While it doesn’t count towards their regular season record, the Warriors kept their loss column unblemished as they sailed through the competition on September 19, going 5-0 while only dropping one set against Northwest before beating Magruder in the finals. They kept this momentum going through the annual Dig Pink game on October 5 when the Warriors swept Kennedy 3-0.

Head coach Kaitlyn Jain is optimistic about the rest of the season and the playoffs, as the team boasts returning talent, with the addition of a year of experience to back it. “Every year is a new team and a new dynamic, but we have a lot of talent,” said Jain. “We’ll need to put it together at the right moments for our upcoming tough matches.”

The team looks to improve on continuing to get better every day and building confidence, as they hope to become and stay one of the best serve receive teams in the county. “Through our first games we have already seen a great amount of change in consistency and connections with each other,” said senior captain Claire Strosnider. To ensure they play well against tough competition, “we will prepare for these games by first worrying about our side and making sure that we are consistent enough by working everyday in practice,” said Strosnider. Other goals include making the county championship, winning the division, and ultimately the regional championship. One of which they already achieved, as the Warriors became division champions on October 2 after a 3-0 sweep versus Magruder.

So far, senior Kenley Jacobs and junior Ariel Callwood have played a huge role in the team’s success. Jacobs currently leads the team in kills with 146, and won tournament MVP at the Magruder Invitational. Callwood also earned all-tournament honors, and was recognized as one of the Washington Sun’s All-DMV Volleyball Players of the Week. As for stat leaders, senior Daniela Sokolakova leads the team in aces with 29 and senior Gianna Mobley and junior Johanne Steppling are leading the team in blocks. Along with these few, Jain also mentioned that the large senior class as a whole has played an important role in the team’s success.

After their huge win versus Wootton, “the team is feeling prepared and energized for the game against RM,” said senior Daniela Sokolakova. “Our mentality was what pushed us to play the hardest.” Despite having a great win against Wootton, the team understands that there is still more to improve upon before their last regular season match up against RM. “Something we have to work on is our execution and staying consistent and finishing long rallies,” said Sokolakova.