StoneBridge Weathers Tough 4-Game Span As Program Makes Crucial Transition

Sooooooooo close! That’s a quick two-word assessment of the past tough four-game span against the undefeated conference leader, two Division II schools and a strong conference opponent. Although StoneBridge did not get a victory in the span, the team does not come away defeated. In fact, I believe we’re accomplishing what we set out to do at the beginning of the year.

When the VaPilot requested a pre-season write-up, I summarized where I thought the volleyball program was headed by saying we are a “program that is in transition from league doormat to competitor and hopefully to the top tier.” Thirteen games into the season, we’ve completed the first part of that transition which began last year — from league doormat to competitor. Lest we forget, prior to this season we had three conference wins in the program’s history. Just a few years ago, we had sixth and seventh graders forced to play varsity. Last year, the program took huge strides forward and began the path to building a competitive program. This year, we’ve completed that transition. Evidence:

–Program high in wins for a season
–Program high in conference wins
–First ever statewide ranking in Division III
–We have been competitive with every team and could have or nearly did beat every team we’ve played
–Our JV team is strong and competitive and actually quite impressive (and setting records for wins!)
–We added a JJV team to accommodate the high level of interest in volleyball and give young players more court time

Following the first game of the four-game stretch against undefeated and highly ranked Broadwater, I was told by some folks at Broadwater that we were “the best team they’ve played.” In the second game against Division II Greenbrier, we led 2-1 only to fall in five games in a very hard fought match. This week at Alliance Christian, we fought back from 0-2 and had the lead 12-8 in the fifth game before falling. And last night, we actually outscored Norfolk Christian but lost three heartbreakers: 24-26, 29-31 and 23-25.

Total points in the four games: 328-397. Last three games: 300-303.

Total points for the season thus far: 1,000-1,000

So, congrats to all the girls involved in StoneBridge volleyball! We’ve officially made it from league doormat to competitor. I’m excited as I look forward to the coming games and the conference tournament and the opportunity to establish ourselves in the conference top tier. That’s the challenge before us.