For the CHS coed volleyball team, new athletes have brought newfound success.
The team has sustained a six game win streak since March 26 to bring its record to 7-1, and has not dropped a single set since its only loss March 23. With a win over Wootton April 19, the team secured the division championship with an undefeated divisional record.
“This is a very strong team,” coach Michael Endler said. “We’ve clinched the division championships, and now we just have to finish our non-division games.”
The Wootton match April 19 that secured the division championship saw CHS winning its first three sets comfortably for a 3-0 win. The match exemplified the strong play the team has had all season, according to junior Carina Graham.
“Wootton’s a good team,” Graham said. “We definitely matched them and then pulled away.”
A win at divisional rival Walter Johnson April 16 and against Paint Branch April 13 were extensions of the team’s nearly unblemished performance, as were division wins over Rockville April 11 and Blake March 28.
The victory over Kennedy March 26 that sparked the team’s six-game win streak had the team headed in to spring break with an innocuous 2-1 record. Northwest handed the team its only loss of the season March 23.
“We hit them a little bit early,” Endler said of Northwest. “I hope we get a chance to see them again. We’re better now than at the beginning.”
The team needed some time to adjust after receiving an influx of new players, which provided the team with a wealth of new experience. Most of the new additions were senior boys who were former members of the boys volleyball team.
“They’re strong players,” Endler said. “They felt with the strength of our girls they had a better opportunity.”
Senior Ryan Li, who played on the coed team in its previous season, is confident in the ability of the new players to boost the team.
“This year, we have a lot of experienced, talented players,” Li said. “In the games so far, it’s going real good.”
The team’s success has given its members an increasingly optimistic outlook as the postseason approaches.
“We’re going to do really well in the playoffs—at least county champs,” Graham said. “It’s a little ambitious, but we’re a strong team and if we play to our potential we’ll get far.”
