Greenbrier East head volleyball coach Matt Sauvage says he is not a rebuilding guy.
While the veteran coach admits he will need find players to fill some key gaps left by graduation, Sauvage is ready to win now.
“We lost five seniors and they were all contributing seniors,” Sauvage said. “I am not a rebuilding guy. I am always about now and we have a lot of talent. There is some young talent too. I like the talent we have, so we just need to see if we can put it all together.”
Outside hitter Brooklyn Morgan and dominant middle blocker Nevaeh Wooding are both playing college volleyball. Setter Julia Smith, defensive specialist Lauren Smith and outside hitter Ella Asbury also graduated last year.
However, the positive note for this year’s team is the return of first-team all-state libero, junior Euodia Sauvage, the coach’s daughter.
An outstanding player since her freshman season, the younger Sauvage will now be asked to fill an additional role this season.
“Her freshman year we had a couple of big personalities on the team in a good way. Last year, she was able to step up a little more, but the seniors were still there,” Sauvage said. “This year, more than normally, she will need to be the coach on the floor. In volleyball, I always look to my libero for that (leadership). They can see what is going on where our front row players can’t always see it.”
As part of a rock-solid back row last year, Dia Sauvage led the team in aces and digs. Her biggest attribute for the Spartans was most likely her ability to stay calm in the moment when things went a bit sideways.
“Her skill is there and she is one of best players in the state. In the entire off-season I have worked on the mental side or the coach side of things,” Sauvage explained. “I am expecting big things on that side. I think that she can elevate the team.”
Dia Sauvage’s ability to stay calm will definitely be a big key this year as Spartans develop and build chemistry throughout the season.
A glance down the roster shows just how young the Spartans will be this season. Josi Ervin will be the lone senior that hits the floor for Sauvage.
Ervin will join her sister, sophomore Hailey Ervin and junior Peyton Barker, along with Sauvage to give Greenbrier East a strong back row.
“Our back row is solid and our defense is normally really good. Dia is back there along with Josi Ervin that started last year in the back,” Sauvage said. “Hailey Ervin and Peyton was a starter last year. It will be tough to put a ball down on us.”
The big area of attention will be the setter position where three players are seeing time early. Barker was a setter on the JV team as a freshman and the younger Ervin will also see time as a setter.
“We are also looking at a sophomore, Haley Byars. It’s a work in progress and will be even into the season. I am hoping for that one girl or two to step into that role for us,” Sauvage said.
Even though Greenbrier East lost some big swings across the front line, they do have several players looking to fill those crucial roles.
“We have six or seven hitters that will be stepping in also. We have to figure out the balance. The good thing about the hitters is they don’t stand out too much above each other,” Sauvage explained. “Normally we have one or two big hitters, but this year I can see it being more of a mix. That will make it harder for teams to double one particular person. That will help us. We have enough diversity to make teams stay balanced.”
Gracie Gumm played middle and right side last year for the Spartans. The junior standout will take on a bigger role this year.
“Gracie will be our force in the middle this year. The kind of defense that we play, the middle is huge for us,” Sauvage said. “The other middle we are still working on and we have a couple of girls in contention. They are all young and they are battling.”
Several players return this year that saw limited time on the outside along with a new face in Fairlea. Sophomore Alexis Stack played for Independence last year and will now suit up with the Spartans.
“Alexis is a very solid player. We played against her last year, but we are still working to find exactly where she will fit for us,” Sauvage said. “Molly Pack started about half the games last year and Lily McHale is back. Lily had some calf issues last year, but she is working through those. Jenna Groves played about a third of the games for us. We have some front row players that can do it and they understand the speed of the game.”
Sauvage agrees there will be some bumps and bruises along the way, but he also thinks when sectional play rolls around, his team will be ready.
“I look at our section and our region and they lost a lot too. I feel like we just have to be ahead of the curve and that is our goal for this season,” Sauvage said. “If we can put it all together as a team, I feel like we can compete with a lot of teams this year and surprise some people.”