The last time that Greenbrier East advanced to the state volleyball tournament in Charleston was 2013.
Led by the likes of senior Katie Shaver and juniors Abby Morgan and Abby Brown, the Spartans made their first ever championship game that year before falling to Musselman.
Could ten years later be the time that the ladies from Greenbrier County once again crash the big dance in the Capital City?
There is no doubt that head coach Matt Sauvage has the players to get the job done.
“I really feel good about this team on and off the court. Off the court, you won’t find a better group of girls. We lost one senior and the varsity team had a 4.22 (GPA) last year,” Sauvage said. “They are talented and each player has gotten better at their position this year. We also have three or four players coming in that will help us on the varsity court.”
The Spartans have four seniors this year led by first team all-state libero Dia Sauvage. The coaches’ daughter has been a rock on the back row for East each of the three previous season.
She will enter the 2023 campaign as a Player of the Year candidate and has already been acknowledged by stadiumtalk.com as the top player in the Mountain State.
“Dia is one that really doesn’t want the attention,” the Greenbrier East coach said. “She would prefer that all of the players around her receive all of the attention. I am not saying she doesn’t like it, but she doesn’t pay attention to the awards side of it all. Dia is more about the team excelling around her. She is one of the better players for sure and she has also improved from last year. Which I am excited about.”
In a world where all of the attention is mainly directed to the explosive kills at the net, the senior libero has quietly kept the Greenbrier East engine running smoothly.
“She not only controls the back row, but she controls the floor because she sees the court so well. That is crucial in any sport having a player that can see the floor,” coach Sauvage said. “It is not just the skill level with her, it is being able to read the game and she really excels with that. Their are some great skill players in West Virginia, but her reading of the game sets her apart.”
Sauvage had 999 receptions last season with a mere 55 errors to set up the attack for the Spartans who have a strong front line. She also led the team with 121 aces.
Gracie Gumm is a three-year starter and had 338 kills out of the middle last year. Sauvage is looking for a big year from his senior stalwart who also served 104 aces.
“We call our middle, middle-blocker because their main priority is to block,” Sauvage said. “Gracie’s swing is too good for us not to use her. We are going to push a little more offense her way and deservedly so. We really want her to have more swings.”
Sauvage is looking for the play of his senior middle to tie up the opposing team’s middle-blocker creating better looks for the outside attackers.
“We will then have Alexis (Stack) and Molly Pack on the outside getting more single blocking,” Sauvage said. “In a single block, it is up to the outside hitter to put the ball away. The double block is much harder. If we can control them pushing to Gracie in the middle and create that single on the outside, it can work out well for us.”
Stack led Greenbrier East with 461 kills last year, along with 96 aces, while Pack had over 300 kills.
Junior Hailey Ervin returns as a highly experienced setter with 1,114 assists last year. Ervin will once again be the primary ball-handler, but the Spartans will have a couple of options to look at this year.
“We are looking at running a 5-1 and a 6-2, or a combination depending on what we need at the time. We are still playing that out,” Sauvage said. “Hailey is a great setter. I want to say that first, but for us, we do have a huge front row coming in this year. We need to use that. We have the possibility of having a 5-foot-10 and 6-foot player on the right side. That is huge in W.Va. high school volleyball. We are still working on the 6-2 spot and debating what we will do.”
With talent and depth at every position on the floor, it is easy to see why expectations are running high in Fairlea this year.
“We have been to regionals every year since 2013. We have knocked on the door a lot and been to four sets and five sets some times, but we have had trouble getting over the hump. Things haven’t bounced our way,” Sauvage explained. “We had a great year last year and I look for an even better year this year. The girls are excited about the season and they have really been pumped to get in here and play. I would love for the girls to make it.”
