Tonight, the West Potomac Girls Volleyball team will face off against their appointment, West Springfield. In their fourth meeting of the season, the team is hopeful to come away with the victory and to earn the title of Occoquon Regional Champions.
The 12-11-1 Wolverines are traveling to the 26-2 Spartans to compete in the Occoquan Region Championships. West Springfield is currently ranked first in the Patriot Region, making West Po the underdog as they rank fourth. While West Po have lost the past four games against West Springfield, as each game passes, the Wolverines become better and better.
Senior, Keelin O’Connell, believes that this game is one they can win. “We need to stay clean, and come out with a lot of energy and continue to keep it up throughout the game,” O’Connell said. “The lack of momentum throughout the last games led to us ultimately losing the past couple of matches. We would start strong, but we would slowly lose steam.” The key to winning, according to O’Connel, is high energy.
The beginning of the season was rough for the Wolverines, winning two of their first six games. As the season progressed, the wins started to pile up, leaving West Po with a winning record. They ended the season with a four game win streak, hopefully carrying the momentum into the regional finals.
Leading up to this point, Senior Valen Hansen says that the team’s strong connection and relationship helped the season end strong. “Our teamwork and our hard drive to play helped us come this far, we have a lot of trust in each other and in our amazing coaches, Amy, Jeff, and Mike,” Hanson said. The community that the coaches and players have built for the program has made the journey together all the more special. Spending long practices and games together has created a strong relationship between all players on and off the court.
The title of Occoquan Regional Champions means a lot to the entire volleyball team and West Po community, but it is especially special to the seven seniors who play on the court. Senior, Avery Garr, is particularly looking forward to the game. “I find it really exciting that we’re going to regionals and states my senior year, we’ve all worked so hard to get to this point,” Garr said.
Win or lose, the West Potomac Girls Volleyball team has qualified for the state tournament. The outcome of this game not only presents a new regional champion, but also the location where the state game will be held. If the Wolverines win, the first state tournament game will be held at West Po. If they lose, it will be held at another school.
