By: Eric Barnett ‘15
Staff Writer
In the next few weeks you see a new and improved West girls’ volleyball team will take the court after coaching changes this past season. Mrs. Kelly Smith, a Spanish teacher from Beck Middle School is taking over the head coaching spot previously held by Mr. Halladay. After a disappointing season, Mrs. Smith, who is a lady lions volleyball alumnus, looks to bring a new excitement to the team and lead them to the Group IV State Playoffs.
After losing a few key seniors who helped the team pull out some close wins last season, the Lions look to be led by seniors Libby Dougherty, Brittany Robertson, and Diana Cordisco. Dougherty, who has been a Varsity player since her sophomore year and is being scouted from multiple colleges for volleyball, has a very optimistic outlook on the upcoming season. When asked how do you think the lady lions will fare this season with the loss of 4 varsity starters she responded with “ This off-season Mrs. Smith has taught us well and trained us hard and I think that we will have a much better season than last year, even despite losing some of our key players.”
A player to keep an eye out for over the next season and ones to follow is freshman Sofia Russo, who already is a valuable asset to the lady lions achieve a winning season that they are striding for. With her strong outside hitting ability and knowledge of the game, she looks to be a threat on the court and still has years to improve on her already valuable skills.
With Robertson and Dougherty both standing at around 5’10” and 5’11” they bring experience and talent to the front line. The duo hopes to set a record for blocks this season and that goal is certainly in reach (no pun intended).Dougherty expressed her great exuberance for the upcoming season and believes that “with the commitment from all the girls this year and the coaches, I think that all of our goals are obtainable and we look to make winning a tradition for the West Girls Volleyball team.”
Make sure you show your support to the six seniors leaving the program after 4 years of hard work by attending the senior game at 5pm vs. Camden academy on the 27th of October right in our very own Jones gym!