Collegiate Volleyball: Better Together

All that was left was the long bus ride home. And the intrasquad scrimmage, the traditional “friendly” that concludes the fall. And the memories. For Collegiate’s 2016 volleyball team, those memories will last a lifetime. No doubt.

 

“I’ve played volleyball for seven years, and I’ve been on a lot of different teams,” said Ellie Casalino, a captain, the libero, and a three-time letter recipient. “This is the best team I’ve been on, not just in skill but also in personality. We knew we were good, but we had a collective goal to be great. I’m grateful that my senior year turned out the way it did.”

 

The Cougars finished 18-7, by far their best mark since 2010. They were 11-1 during the League of Independent Schools regular season. They qualified for the eight-team VISAA tournament for the first time since 2009.  Eva Whaley, a junior middle hitter, led the Cougars with 49 aces, 220 kills, and 61 blocks. Senior setter Kimberley Jeans led in assists (303), and Casalino led in digs (224). Whaley, Casalino, and senior captain Brigid O’Shea, a four-year starter, earned All-LIS honors.

 

This season was about more than numbers or individual accolades, however. It was about the chemistry among 18 players, two managers, and two coaches, their motivation, their sense of purpose, and the fun they had together.

 

“Everyone had the best interests of the team in mind the entire season,” said head coach Beth Kondorossy. “We have nine seniors who have contributed a lot to the program. It was definitely our time.”

 

Keeping 18 players engaged was no small feat, but throughout the year, Coach Kondo and her assistant Dominique Meeks talked up the importance of the team-first culture.

 

“In the beginning, I’m very up front regarding playing time,” Coach Kondo explained. “We focus on October. That’s when kids who have been putting in practice and might not get the playing time they want or expect. That's when they tend to be on board or get off board.

 

“We’re proactive. We talk after each game about how it wasn’t just the people on the court that contributed. We give a shout-out to those who didn’t get as much time. If you saw us play, you saw that every single player was invested in every point. Everyone contributed.”

 

Team activities such as “Competition Monday” fostered cohesion and camaraderie.

 

“Everyone was in it,” Coach Kondo said. “Every drill you can earn points, and every drill counted from effort in the dynamic warm-up to effort in the weight room to six-on-six. The top three went on the wall of fame in the locker room. We made sure everyone felt part of the process and part of the success.”

 

There was an abundance of highlights, among them two victories each over LIS rivals St. Catherine’s and St. Anne’s-Belfield as well as drawing the top seed in the LIS tournament and the fifth seed in the VISAA tournament.

 

Many of the highlights were intangibles.

 

“Volleyball is very much a game of momentum,” Coach Kondo explained. “When a girl makes a mistake, it’s a point for the other team. If you let mistakes weigh on you, they’ll continue to get worse. I attribute our success to the ability to shake off mistakes and move on.”

 

The finale came two nights ago on the road in the state quarterfinals when the Cougars dropped a furiously contested match (20-25, 25-18, 30-32, 23-25) to a powerful Norfolk Academy squad.

 

Afterwards, they were gracious. They made no excuses. On the ride west on I-64, they were subdued, reflective, content with their effort, and sorry that their season had come to an end.

 

“We were really proud of the way we played,” said Eva Whaley. “It was sad, but it wasn’t regret-sad.”

         -- Weldon Bradshaw