Change is the theme in regards to Greenbrier East volleyball heading into the 2024 season.
Last year the Spartans recorded another strong season with a 43-13-1 record. The ending however fell into an all too familiar category with a sectional loss to rival Beckley and a regional setback to George Washington.
The postseason landscape this year for Greenbrier East will not involve Beckley and GW who moved up to Class AAAA under the new classification system, while the Spartans remained in Class AAA.
“All of us coaches here at Greenbrier East have talked about us losing enrollment kind of steadily over the last 10 years or so,” head coach Matt Sauvage said. “It is just do to the economy in the area. The new classification is still good, but our region is still tough.”
The sectional battle for Greenbrier East will now involve Class AA power Shady Spring which moved up to AAA, along with Independence and PikeView. Princeton also remains in AAA.
The opposite section will include another AA power in Herbert Hoover, along with Nicholas County, Sissonville and Ripley.
“You lose Woodrow Wilson and George Washington, but you pick up Shady Spring and Herbert Hoover. They are both really good, but we are looking forward to it and we are excited,” Sauvage said.
The other big change comes in personnel for the Spartans who lost first team all-state captain Dia Sauvage who smashed the Greenbrier East record books during her four years. Also gone due to graduation are captains Gracie Gumm and Peyton Barker, along with right-side hitter Taylor Boswell.
“We lost four seniors,” Sauvage said. “We have eight to nine players, possibly 10 that we are looking at in the rotation. We will see how they do the next few weeks. Out of those players, six of them have a good bit of varsity experience. It is a good mix coming back.”
“We also have a couple of young ones that are going to have to step up,” Sauvage went on to say. “We have a freshman that we are throwing in as a middle. Right now she is a freshman, but in about another week and a half, she will be a varsity player. We will see how that goes. She has come along quick.”
Replacing a player like his daughter is not a totally new concept to the veteran coach.
“I have been blessed coaching. I have had Abby Brown, Chylyn Pate and the list goes on and Dia is on that list. Dia was a very special player and she will be hard to replace. I said this about the other girls that have been special, you have to replace them by committee,” Sauvage said. “You don’t necessarily replace them by individuals. That is what we are looking at this year. The one really big thing that we are looking to replace is the leadership side. Thankfully we have some girls that are stepping up in that area.”
After relying on a 6-2 last year with two setters, Sauvage will start the season using junior Mackenna McClure in the quarterback position.
“We are moving a couple of positions around this year. (Senior) Hailey Ervin is also back and ran a 6-2 with us last year,” Sauvage said. “We are looking to move her to a defensive specialist/libero situation to see how that plays out. That is a great transition for a setter where they can use their hands.”
Sophomore Sydney Norman will also see some time at the setter position to hopefully make the 6-2 attack a viable option.
“We don’t want to lose Makenna’s swing because she is great front row player. The setter is an important position and Makenna is willing to do whatever we ask and so is Hailey,” Sauvage said. “They were completely on board because they want what is best for the team.”
Ervin, McClure and possibly Norman will be the motor that runs the show in Fairlea this year.
“I have always said, the setter, libero and defensive specialist do not get much credit,” Sauvage said. “As a coach, those are the most important positions we have on the court. Having them step into that role, they will do very good at it.”
When the Spartans get the ball to the net, they will have one of the top hitters in that state in senior Alexis Stack to put the ball down.
“Alexis is just a different animal. She has the vertical (jump) and the quickness, but she also has the mind for it,” Sauvage said. “She has had exceptional years in the past already and I expect that to keep going. We need her out there in the front row and the back row.”
Senior Mollie Pack will join Stack on the outside, but Sauvage also has some other plans for his two big weapons.
“Their back row attack has come along and we are going to mix some of that into it,” Sauvage said. “When you have a good back row attack, it is hard to defend. It is harder than the front row. Both are surely a force on the front row, but we want to create some more attack out of them from the back. They are stepping right in the leadership side as well.”
Junior Regan Rink had a solid sophomore season opposite of Gumm, who Sauvage has compared her too during preseason camp. A pair of freshman will join Rink as middle blockers in Paige Totten and Calla Fauber. All three players stand roughly 6-foot tall.
“They are good athletes, but they are freshman, so we will see how they develop,” Sauvage said about Totten and Fauber. “One of them will be there regardless.”
While the postseason will not be a cake walk, Sauvage believes this team can secure that elusive state tournament berth this year. Greenbrier East last made the big dance in 2013 where it finished runner-up to Musselman.
“This team can make a run however they want to go. It is up to them. They are very similar to the team last year and I felt like that team last year could have made a run,” Sauvage said. “The teams that beat us in the post season, we were able to tie or beat in the regular season. We were there last season, we just couldn’t get over the top. This team could do some damage at the state tournament.”
