Success on the volleyball court for Shady Spring High School is really nothing new.
The Tigers have won five straight regional titles and have made seven consecutive trips to the state volleyball tournament in Charleston.
Although Shady Spring has a couple of key pieces to replace, the Tigers easily return enough firepower to be playing in the Capital City come November.
“The finish last year wasn’t quite where we wanted it, but it was still a good season,” second-year head coach Brantlea Wood said. “I think we only had 10 losses against what is now mostly a Class AAAA schedule. We like to go big or go home.”
Last year the Tigers compiled a 44-10-2 record and advanced to the semifinals of the state tournament.
The two senior leaders from that team were Camille Testerman and Haley Sweeney, but both are now playing at Concord University.
“We lost two solid players. We have one senior back in Rachel Mann who will move into that senior leadership role,” Wood said. “We also have some juniors that have also stepped up as well. They are all kind of sharing the responsibility load. We have experience, but we are not as experienced as we have been in the past. There will be a learning curve for everybody.”
Rachel Mann is a strong player at all levels on the court for the Tigers. Last year she recorded 290 kills and had 68 aces over 129 sets played. Along the back row she had 325 digs and 345 receptions.
Younger sister Reagan Mann was a first team all-state selection a year ago and led a balanced Shady attack with 383 kills. She also recorded 61 aces, 337 digs, and was second behind Sweeney with 584 assists.
“They have all improved from the beginning to the end last year. Rachel is an all around solid player with a great serve,” Wood said. “Reagan has put in a lot of work on her own in the off-season. It is hard to put into words where I feel like she will be by the end of the season. When she gets going, defenses better watch out. She is not one you want to sleep on and get hit in the face.”
Adding more firepower at the net is junior Alivia Stover who is both a strong hitter and an excellent blocker.
“She is phenomenal in the middle. She will have the most experience in the middle since we lost Camille,” Wood said. “When you get a middle that can hit, as well move up and back, left and right, it is a huge bonus.”
Blocking will be a focus area for Shady Spring going into the 2024 season according to Wood.
“Pretty much all of them in the lineup can block. We just need to get more consistent. That was something that we struggled with all together,” Wood said. “That is one of our main focuses this year. We have to slow the ball down some, otherwise it is too much to put on the defense.”
Junior Kenidi Creager is another all around player that will be counted on heavily this year. Creager will see action as a libero, a defensive specialist and will play some on the front line as well.
Softball standout Jenna Joyce was thrown into the proverbial fire along the back row last year in her freshman season, but to her credit, adjusted quickly. Over 123 sets, Joyce had 336 receptions and 226 digs.
“She got throw in and really had no time to prep for it. We had a couple of people that were in the running to play, but it didn’t work out,” Wood said. “That is why we try to keep the high competition level with our schedule. When you see it all of the time, it becomes the norm.”
Two additional freshman made a strong impact across their first varsity season in Bristol Bloomfield and Allie Fragile.
“The goal for Allie and Bristol is to continue to build on where they were last year. They are more consistent now,” Wood said. “They handle pressure pretty well and I feel like the team as a whole handles pressure pretty well. I like to try and add the element of staying calm in the chaos to practice. We work on that and I think it shows in the games. We want to stay level headed.”
The Tigers have 19 players on the roster, but only five players are either juniors or seniors this season.
“We have a solid freshman group that we can throw in if we need to,” Wood explained. “If there is anything I have learned, you have to be prepared for anything. Next girl, next player up. We took the punches and rolled with it last year.”
Shady Spring is currently listed in Class AAA under the new four-class system and will battle Greenbrier East, Independence, PikeView and Princeton in sectional play when the postseason rolls around.
“I think the section will be tough. We have to go out there, do our job, handle our business and get it done,” Wood said. “With all of the sectional changes, we cannot take anybody for granted. Ultimately, you are only as good as the day you play. Anybody can beat anybody.”
Shady Spring opens the season Thursday night at home when it hosts Class AAAA powers Morgantown and Beckley in a tri-match before playing Saturday in the Shirley Brown Invitational in Beckley.
