After a disappointing season, the girls varsity volleyball team ended the year with a record of 5-11.  Unable to reach their goal of making it to the Northern Region Tournament, the Atoms fell in the first round of the Patriot District playoffs.

“[The season] was not as successful as we had hoped,” head coach Jan Austin said.

“The season did not go as well as we had hoped,” senior Teppi Shultis said.

The team felt frustrated with their performance and some seemed disappointed with the results.  Despite big senior hitters and a high level of talent, the team never seemed to be able to come together and meet their potential.  They lost important games to teams that they should have beaten, such as Edison. After winning the first set, the Atoms fell prey to the Edison Eagles, losing three straight sets.

“The potential of the team never measured, especially during the tough matches,” Shultis said. Shultis recently committed to Howard University to play division one volleyball.

The team, however, seemed to enjoy themselves and had a fun year in the end.  The future is looking strong for AHS volleyball and Austin seems pleased with her younger players.

“[I] learned a lot as a coach and as a team. We will miss our six seniors, but we have six returning players, three of which are sophomores, and I am excited for next season,” Austin said.

The junior varsity girls volleyball team ended the season with a winning record of 9-7.  With the talent of the JV team combined with returning varsity players, the future is bright for the AHS volleyball program.  For the complete list of results and the full roster, visit annandaleatoms.com.