The girls volleyball team shut out Seneca Valley 3-0 Oct. 18, a needed bolster to the team’s confidence after recent losses. The team improved its record to 7-4 with the win and has almost guaranteed itself a winning record with only three matches left.

The win over Seneca Valley came in three solid sets, with the team winning by 10 or more points in the final two sets.

“We were confident,” senior captain Sophie Ettinger said. “Our team energy was extremely exciting and empowering, we had a lot of focus.”

A 3-0 loss to B-CC Oct. 13 was the third shutout in four games for the girls volleyball team. After a strong start to the season, the team has hit a tougher part of its schedule, facing stiffer competition from stronger schools.

According to coach Cindy Hillard, the Bulldog’s losses came to teams with solid offenses and defenses that matched its own.

The 3-1 win over Clarksburg Oct. 11 has been the one bright spot in a string of recent losses.

“We are hopeful to win all of the remaining regular season matches, but there are tough teams we will play,” Hillard said.

The girls volleyball team expected a tough match against Walter Johnson, a team that is 6-2 and a consistent rival of the Bulldogs. Their expectations were met with a 3-0 loss Oct. 6.

A three-game Bulldog win streak was snapped Sept. 30 with a 3-0 loss to Poolesville, followed by another 3-0 loss to Richard Montgomery Oct. 3.

Currently at 6-4, the team is hoping to maintain its winning record and use the experience gained in the regular season to earn wins in the playoffs.

“Our season’s going pretty well,” senior captain Pauline Dmitriev said. “We’re playing really strong, especially compared to previous years, because we have a new coach putting us into strengths.”

The team has started the season well and hopes to finish the same, with the season nearly through.

As for the reason for the team’s success this year, Dmitriev attributes it to team camaraderie as well as coaching.

“We have a strong bond and we get along, all of us,” Dmitriev said. “We have a really good front row, and good outside hitter. We have a great setter, [junior] Adriana Lee.”

Volleyball teams are automatically seeded in playoffs, regardless of the team’s record. So while CHS is guaranteed to make the playoffs, the team still needs to work on technique in the regular season to be prepared for the playoffs.

“If we improve on passing and get down a couple of plays, we can get pretty far into playoffs,” Dmitriev said. “My expectation is that we play at our level. If we do that we can beat Richard Montgomery and Wootton and get excited for the playoffs.”