First-year West Potomac volleyball coach Rebecca Waters said the Wolverines’ 1-5 start was due in part to shuffling players in and out while trying to find a consistent lineup.
On Sept. 30, the Wolverines appeared to solve two problems. West Potomac defeated rival Mount Vernon, 3-0 (26-24, 25-10, 25-22), to break a minor two-game losing streak. Along with the victory, Waters said she decided upon a starting lineup shortly after the match.
"I think we have found a workable lineup," Waters said. "Now it’s just a matter of getting them used to being next to one another and having them all click. So, hopefully we’ll be able to have it down to a science before the tournament."
Six-foot junior Angela Robinson is one of West Potomac’s middle blockers. She finished with a match-high seven kills against the Majors. Her kill started a 4-0 run in game one to seal a come-from-behind, 26-24 victory. She also had three aces in game three.
"It’s just being familiar with your players and what you do," Robinson said of the Wolverines’ lineup jelling. "It’s just familiarizing yourself — becoming a family on the court and knowing where everyone is going to be and what you need to do with each other."
Waters said six-foot sophomore Lara Chilton is her other middle blocker. Seniors Linnea Markson (5-8) and Mallorie Calvert (5-5) are the outside hitters, sophomore Morgan Maniglia (5-8) is the opposite hitter and senior Maddie Tindle (5-8) is the setter.
Waters said she is considering junior Alexx Graybill (5-4) as a defensive player.
"We’re coming together," Calvert said. "It’s taken some time, but we’re finally getting to that point where we’re all comfortable with each other and we know who can do what."
Markson finished with four kills against Mount Vernon. Maniglia tallied three and Calvert added two.
Mount Vernon entered the match having yet to win a game. The Majors battled in game one, scoring four straight points late to take a 24-22 lead. On the verge of allowing Mount Vernon its first game win of the season, West Potomac responded with four straight points for the win. Robinson started the rally with the kill and Tindle added an ace.
Mount Vernon setter Alexis Gable said coming so close was disappointing, but the Majors should gain confidence.
"It was frustrating because we know we can do a lot better," she said. "A few games back our [performance] wasn’t that great. It was really not close at all. Tonight, I think that gave us confidence because we were so close and we played really well."
Ericka Frank and Anita Johnson each finished with six kills for Mount Vernon. Sabrina Person had three kills and Natalie Dailey had two.
West Potomac lost to Lee, 3-1, on Monday and faced Wakefield on Wednesday. Results of the Wakefield match were not available as of press time. The Wolverines travel to take on Hayfield on Tuesday.
Mount Vernon hosts Hayfield on Oct. 15.