Returning only three players this year from a team last year that went undefeated in the regular season, the boys volleyball team has played the season to an impressive 7-4 record. Led by their captains, junior setter Jeremy Lee and senior middle hitter Henry Tollefson, the team’s success comes despite inexperience.


“[At the beginning of the season] it was like we were starting fresh,” said coach Sylvie Ellen. “Pretty much everyone knows their role, but it’s hard because we have a lot of players that didn’t have game experience.”

However, the team has notched up some impressive wins this year, including Churchill on March 25 and Poolesville on April 17. Both teams are considered to be major competitors in the county. Wins this season have also come against Gaithersburg, Rockville, Paint Branch and Blake along with a forfeit win against Seneca Valley. The players feel like their success comes through hard work in practice, as well as in the games.

“We just try to go out and work in practice,” said Tollefson. “Each game for us is basically an extended practice.”

Wins and losses this season have come in bunches. The team started out the season with two straight wins, followed by two losses. The next five games saw two wins, promptly succeeded by a three game winless streak.

“So far it’s our energy that’s gotten us the wins, people were getting pumped and yelling,” said junior defensive specialist Jacob Schneider. “In our losses, we came out flat and never played with that same intensity.”

Despite their impressive start, new players have impacted the team. The team only returns three players, them being Lee, sophomore James Lillie, and senior Reza Kolahdouzan.

To the team‘s advantage, four of the new players this year played last year on the co-ed team, giving the team much needed experience. According to Tollefson, a co-ed player last year, Ellen has helped him through the transition.

“[Coach Ellen] makes everything really easy to understand, especially for a relatively new guy like me,” he said.

With the last game of the regular season behind them, the team’s goal right now is to continue their solid play heading into the postseason.

“Every game is an opportunity to fine-tune what we’ve worked on in practice,” said Ellen. “We just need to put the best effort out there every game.”

*Northwest at WJ on April 29 occured too late to cover.