POISED & POLISHED MdS VOLLEYBALL IS MAKING A RUN

After reaching IAAM A Conference semifinals last year, Sailors are taking aim at their third title in four years.
A young team with talent and promise, Mount de Sales is undefeated and a strong contender for the 2007 IAAM A Conference volleyball crown.

by Alejandro Danois

The Mount de Sales volleyball team returned eight players from a team that reached the IAAM A Conference semifinals last year. Although they lost a spirited five set match to eventual league champion St. Paul�??s School for Girls in that semifinal, the team�??s overall youth seemed to bode well for future success.

That projection has now come to fruition. The team is off to a 7-0 start, including 2-0 in the A Conference, and is currently #11 in the local rankings.  In addition, they have won 21 sets without dropping one.

�??We had a very young team last year with five sophomores, a freshman and two juniors,�?� said coach Kenny Mills, who led the Sailors to back-to-back appearances in the conference championship game in 2004 and 2005. �??We did very well against a strong St. Paul�??s team in the Semi�??s and it was anybody�??s match to win.�?�

Kasey Mercier, last year�??s starting setter, is a team captain who has shifted to outside hitter. The 5-foot-9 junior has been the team�??s most consistent server over the last two years, utilizing an effective jump floater. Averaging 2.8 kills per game this season, Mercier also carries a 94% serving percentage.

�??Kasey was the first freshman I ever took on my varsity team,�?� said Mills. �??She was one of the most athletic players we had and she came from a lineage of good volleyball players. There�??s a lot of talent in that body of hers.�?�

Mercier�??s sister Kristina, an All-County 1st-Team selection and IAAM All-Star in 2005, now starts at outside hitter for Gettysburg College as a sophomore.

Senior middle hitter/blocker Laura Nevin is another team captain. Before the season got underway, it seemed that she might be lost for the year due to a fractured elbow and strained tendons, suffered while diving on the floor for a ball during a pre-season practice. Her speedy return to competition against Covenant Christian School in the fourth game has served as another source of inspiration toward Mount de Sales' championship goals.

The other team captain, senior Shannon Clancey, has assumed the role of setter this year.
   
Sophomore Katy Buck, a strong outside hitter last year as a freshman, is averaging 4.3 kills per game to complement her consistent jump serve.

�??Katy has a lot of heart and talent,�?� said Mills. �??She and Kasey are strong all around players. They lead the team in digs, kills and are two of our top servers.�?�

Hannah Schmidt, a 5-foot-11 freshman, may be new the high school volleyball scene, but her performance on the court suggests that her adjustment is going well. She�??s averaging one block and 1.5 kills per game in the middle.

The team�??s early season success included a win over previously ranked Wilde Lake, an impressive three set triumph that catapulted the Sailors into the rankings.

�??The season has gone very well so far considering we�??ve been working through the change of our setter, with Shannon taking over and putting Kasey in a hitting position,�?� said Mills. �??We�??re trying to work out what our best rotation is, whether we should run a 5-1 or a 6-2. We�??re talented enough that we can run either one.�?�

The Sailors charged out of the gate this year to a 4-0 record without surrendering a single match.

In addition to the win against Wilde Lake, Mount de Sales showed their experience and capabilities with their victory over The Maret School, one of the top private school teams in Washington, D.C.�??s Independant School League over the past few years.
Sophomore Katy Buck, who has been a great offensive weapon for the Sailors, attacks as teammate Hannah Schmidt looks on.

Maret�??s quick hitting tempo, where they attacked the ball hard, was negated by a strong Sailor showing of blocking and defense. Mount de Sales consistently dug out tough balls and made crisp passes, converting plays of their own. Mercier dug out four quality shots in a row during a critical second match sequence. The two teams rallied back and forth until Katie Buck eventually killed the ball from the outside.

�??In my opinion as a coach, the most important thing is to play defense first and everything else will fall into place,�?� said Mills. �??We were able to come back at them and put balls down on their side of the floor. From dig to set to attack, our goal is to better the ball so we can finish it off.�?�
The Sailors won the tight match against Maret in three straight �?? 25-16, 25-22 and 25-23.

�??We knew, losing only one senior from last year, that we were going to be a strong team,�?� said Shannon Clancey, one of the senior leaders and captains. �??Our thoughts were, we�??re going to be strong, play together, get past the Semi�??s and go out for that championship this year.�?�

Their mettle will get fully tested as they continue in league play. The Sailors will host McDonogh on Monday and then they welcome in St. Paul's on Wednesday. In addition, defending champion Archbishop Spalding will visit on Oct. 10.  St. Paul's and Spalding join Mount de Sales as the last three undefeated teams in the conference.

Another tough test also awaits this weekend. The Sailors will be making their first appearance in the Bulldog Invitational tournament at North Caroline High. The Bulldog will provide a barometer as to where they stack up with some of the highly ranked programs in the area such as Reservoir and Centenniel.

�??Last year, when we�??d get down in a game, we wouldn�??t be able to pick ourselves back up,�?� said Clancey. �??This year it�??s completely different. Three of the games we�??ve won so far, we were down at one point but we picked it up and were able to win. We all mesh well together and trust one another.�?�