‘Resilient’ Lady Eagles Volleyball Show Potential In New Roster For Next Season
After a district win last year, Lady Eagles look to repeat it after seven seniors graduated
By Wyatt Hardy
Seven seniors have graduated from the Lady Eagles Volleyball team. Sullivan will be playing this season with veterans stepping up to fill roles and several newcomers following their lead. Even with a changed roster, they are still set on getting another district championship and going further in the playoffs.
Last season proved to be an exciting journey filled with intense matches, broken records and clutch wins. Head coach Sarah Rochleau led the team to a season record of 21-13-3, a huge improvement over their previous record of 12-15-6. They drove deep into the postseason, beating the Salem Tigers to win districts and also going to sectionals.
Rochleau looks back on the year as one of her most exciting yet, claiming, “Last season was fun and successful, as we tallied 21 wins, including a district championship! Winning districts was certainly a highlight, along with some outstanding individual performances, setting numerous program records.”
Seniors Maci Nolie, Emma Brune, Anna Brooks, Olivia Witt, Carley Godfrey, Ali Blue and Erica Juergens all had an incredible year.
Nolie was selected to the all-state team and broke eight school records. She made 165 career aces, 89 single-season aces, 650 career service points, 298 single-season service points, 1,122 career digs, 2,333 career assists and 895 single-season assists. Other seniors broke records, including Emma Brune with 398 single-season kills and 1,003 career kills. Not to be left out, Anna Brooks made it into the books with 468 single-season digs.
Without these seven players, the Lady Eagles this year will “overall be a pretty young group,” according to Rochleau, “We have several important roles to fill, including the setter position. Senior Raegan Johnson and sophomore Ava Todd will likely share the setting responsibility to start the season. Junior Stevi Saling will be taking on a bigger role, moving into one of our outside attacker positions left vacant by Brune and Witt.”
This year’s returning seniors are Johnson, Emily Clonts, Aleah Hunter and Delaney George. Then Sullivan “will round out the team with 8 or 9 incoming juniors and sophomores.”
The Lady Eagles are aiming to improve on their previous 5-2 conference record. Rochleau understands the players and coaches will have to get used to a changed roster.
“For us to be successful this season, it will be important that some new leaders emerge and fill the holes left behind by our seniors. We are confident that this group has the ability to compete with anyone on our schedule, but we know it may take a little time to figure out how the pieces will all fit together,” she says.
The Lady Eagles will have morning practices until school starts, training once a day for 2 hours. The group has already participated in summer practices, scrimmages and camps.
In the past couple of months, Rochleau saw the potential that these girls have together, claiming, “Throughout the summer, one word we kept coming back to was resilient. This group demonstrated resilience time and again while competing this summer. They showed the ability to fight back into matches where we got behind. This will be crucial for our success this season, as our younger players start figuring out how to compete at the varsity level.”
With talented veterans and newcomers, this group could be as powerful as last year once they find their footing. Rochleau knows that this team is motivated, has chemistry and is resilient. Winning districts again is entirely possible.
A home jamboree is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 23. The regular season will open up at Blair Oaks on Aug. 29. Their first home game will be on Aug. 31 against Salem.