The Annandale Varsity volleyball team has started off the season with a 1-1 record, with a 3-0 win against Robert E. Lee High School and a 0-3 loss to McLean High School. The first few games of the season are against non-conference opponents such as Thomas Jefferson High School, Washington and Lee High School and Falls Church High School.
These games are important to the team because it helps them prepare for the brutality that comes with playing tough conference games against long time rivals Lake Braddock Secondary School (2-0), W.T. Woodson High School (1-1) and reigning Conference 7 champions South County High School (1-0).
“We need to still be motivated to win the non-conference games because they still help us come together as a team for conference games,” senior Brooke Thadeus said.
Returning team members say that the team chemistry has drastically improved this year compared to previous volleyball seasons.
“This year it’s [team chemistry] so much different from other years I’ve been on varsity, but in a good way,” senior Symone Jenkins said. “It is a lot easier to get along with everyone because we’re all juniors and seniors and we have no restrictions when we want to go and do things as a team.”
All of the players are hoping to bounce back from their dismal 4-11 record last season, including the new head varsity volleyball coach, Alicia Kranak.
“I feel excited and I’m looking forward to building the team up,” Kranak said. “I just expect that the team grows and it doesn’t matter if we win or lose it just matters that we grow as a team.”
Coach Kranak has been coaching for a total of three years now. Before she started coaching here at Annandale, she coached for the South County Youth Club for four seasons. She has been playing volleyball ever since she started middle school.
Winning the conference title is always the main goal for every team each season, but this year it seems like a tangible goal for the Atoms. The Atoms are hopeful that they will reach the Region 6A North tournament for the first time in six years.
The addition of Mount Vernon High School to the Patriot Conference will hopefully impact the Atoms volleyball team in a positive way. The Majors went 2-12 last year in the Capitol Conference and will now be facing much tougher opponents in the Patriot Conference this year. The Atoms will be seeking more conference wins and should an optimistic view for the 2015 season.
The Atoms next home match is on Thursday, Sept. 10 against Thomas Jefferson High School. Make sure to come out and support the Atoms varsity volleyball team!