Deep Woodrow team has high hopes this fall
Aug. 29—Having an experienced team has its advantages.
"It makes it a lot easier. They come in, they know what to expect," Woodrow Wilson head volleyball coach Bre Rhodes said. "They have the same goals. They know what it takes to get to the state tournament."
Now, because of that experience, just stepping foot on the Charleston Coliseum floor won't good enough this fall.
"Now we shift mindset. We don't want to just get to the state tournament. We have a state championship mindset," Rhodes said. "We are ready to take it all. We've got a good core group that hopefully can take us all the way."
The Flying Eagles, who won the Class AAA Region 3 championship on their home court last season, lost only two seniors from that team. Among them is middle hitter ZaMahaya Moss, a second-team all-state selection last season (277 kills, 120 blocks).
"Losing ZaMahya, those are some big shoes to fill in the front row," Rhodes said.
Also gone is defensive specialist Lesleigh Ball, who gathered 302 digs and posted a 98.6 serve percentage.
Ball will be missed, but the DS spot is deep, which is representative of the team as a whole.
Coming in to take the spot in the middle will be junior Lexi Coleman.
"We're hoping she can fill (Moss') shoes a little bit," Rhodes said.
Leading the returning starters is junior setter Abby Dillon. She was a first-team all-stater last season after finishing with a 98.8 save percentage and 58 aces, along with 65 kills, 498 digs and 1,106 assists.
Also back are seniors Emily Gallaher and Abby Bower in the back row and Salia Harris on the outside. Harris (301 kills) was an honorable mention all-stater last year.
But the contributions will come from one end of the roster to the other.
"Everybody played last year, and right now we're getting everybody in to play," Rhodes said. "It's funny because I don't really have a starting six, because everybody gets in. It just changes depending on serve (or) receive. Those six could be different."
Outside hitter Sarah Diehl is the team's only other senior. Sisters Anya and Dalya Hasan are expected to see a lot of court time, as are junior Skylar Jeffrey and sophomore Londen Baker. Junior hitter Alanna Penn, a special honorable mention selection last fall, is currently battling an injury, so Rhodes has brought up freshmen Reagan Rist and Presley Adkins to help.
"They can play just about anywhere I put them," Rhodes said. "That's nice to have."
The Flying Eagles will start their season Saturday with the annual Shirley Brown Invitational at Woodrow Wilson. The tournament is named in honor of the program's legendary coach who in 2020 was named the top female high school coach in West Virginia history.
The tournament will start at 9 a.m. and will be played on two courts. In one pool will be the Flying Eagles, Shady Spring, Capital and Cabell Midland. The other pool will consist of George Washington, PikeView, Huntington and Spring Valley.
After pool play, the eight teams will be seeded into a single-elimination tournament.
Tickets must be purchased online at woodrowwilsonhs.bigteams.com, at gofan.co or by downloading the GoFan app.
"It's not really opening weekend anymore like it used to be, but just having one of those first tournaments and honoring Shirley and her legacy here, it's always a great deal," Rhodes said. "We're hoping to bring back the trophy. We haven't won it in a couple of years. So that's a goal this weekend."
