GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: Eight wins in 19 chances may not sound like much, but head coach Jan Webb had only expected three or four victories.
By: Neil Hay
"On the surface it doesn’t sound very good," said Peddie volleyball coach Jan Webb of her team’s 8-11 record.
"But at the beginning of the year I expected to win only three or four matches."
Meaning that Webb got quite a bit more than she had anticipated out of her spikers, diggers and killers.
Last season the Falcons’ were 7-12. Six of the top nine players from that team were lost to graduation. And the schedule, which included many teams out of Philadelphia where volleyball is more prevalent, was formidable.
"Our problem is when the kids come to Peddie we have to teach them how to play volleyball at this level. The players on the other teams are far more skilled and experienced. We do the best we can," said Webb.
One of the highlights of the season when the locals defeated Philadelphia’s Shipley School 3 games to 1. This marked the first time ever that Peddie defeated Shipley.
Along the way Peddie also defeated Princeton Day School twice, Lawrenceville, Solomon Schector, Springside, and Mary Baldwin. Among the losses were three setbacks to the undefeated George School.
"We played them tough," said Webb.
The Falcons also defeated Collegiate in the quarterfinals of the state prep tournament. After losing the opening game 3-15 ("Our worst display of the season. We could do nothing right") Peddie came back to win 15-13, 15-13.
"We started serving much better, passing the ball, playing defense," recalled Webb of her team’s big win.
"We had a really good defensive team. It is all about momentum."
In the first game against Collegiate, Peddie had only six set ups with no kills. In the second game Peddie drew even by having six kills on 24 set ups. The Falcons finally won when 27 set ups led to 11 kills.
"We set a completely different tone.
"In the third game we were down 6-10, but I could see in their eyes the girls were determined to win, that they were playing well and that things would work out."
They did.
But Peddie’s run in states ended in the semis, when the locals were eliminated by undefeated Saddle River Day School, which did not drop a single game all year.
Webb is happy to play the kind of competitive schedule it does. Rather than play easy opponents that fail to bring a challenge to the floor, Webb understands that, to get better, her team has to play against the top teams around.
"Volleyball is like tennis. The better the opponent plays, the better you play. The defense improves, the rallies are longer, it’s fun. I don’t mind playing good teams."
Ten players, all of whom saw action throughout the season, made up the Peddie roster. The seniors were Marly Hammer, a defensive specialist; second-year player Lauren Bonilla on the front row ("She came through to become our best hitter"); and middle hitter Alena Kykolova from the Czech republic ("Our most experienced player") who led the team with 4.5 kills per game. The juniors were comprised of Kristin Bocina, the setter in the Falcons’ 5-1 offensive alignment, outside hitter Abby Temeng, and utility players Stephanie Rofman, Erica Mannherz and Reynata Rankjelawan.
Filling out the lineup in the back row were sophomore Lillian Wong ("Our most improved player") and junior Sasha Suzuki.
"This team lost a lot of close games," said Webb. "They showed a lot of heart. They also cranked up the intensity in practice, which showed.
"I was thrilled with our season."
If Webb could get up on a soapbox, it would be to plead for more schools to include volleyball in their athletic program.
"It is such a wonderful game. More kids should play," said Webb.