Anyone who watched this summer’s Olympic Games probably recognized that volleyball is on the rise. No matter what time of night or what channel you might have been watching, it seemed volleyball was an American broadcast staple, and it’s not such a mystery why. The headlines may have been stolen by Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh when they became the first duo to ever win back-to-back Olympic gold medals, but equally impressive were the performances by beach volleyball gold medalists, Americans Todd Rogers and Philip Dalhausser, and the gold and silver medals earned by the U.S. men and women in indoor team volleyball.
The Olympics might be over, but volleyball fever is just beginning inside high school gymnasiums across the country. As the volleyball season starts, one high school team you’ve certainly not heard much about resides right here in Ledyard.
The Ledyard girls’ varsity volleyball team has finished toward the bottom of the ECC Large division for the past few years and is coming off a losing season, finishing 7-11 last year. And no, they are not picked to win or even considered contenders for their division this year as they’re still overshadowed by the dominant programs at Fitch, East Lyme, and NFA.
But ask any one of the girls wearing blue and yellow and they’ll tell you they’re not hiding in the shadows, they’re lurking.
Returning eight seniors and four juniors to round out her varsity roster, Ledyard High volleyball coach Joline Weissgarber has a good feeling and high expectations for this year’s squad.
“We’re definitely being overlooked,” Weissgarber said. “The top teams think of us as an easy win and that we’re just not as talented. But we are a deep team and all my girls are using all that nay-saying as motivation. That’s the thing that really stands out is that these girls aren’t concerned with the fact that they are still considered heavy underdogs, they’re eager to play the East Lymes and the Fitches. They’re looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead and they’re definitely excited with their chances.”
A former player herself, Weissgarber played NCAA Division I volleyball at Mitchell College for two seasons, earning All-American status her second year before making the move to coaching in 1998. In 2004 she was hired on at Ledyard High and began to rebuild the program which now, entering her fifth season, she feels is ready to make a run at the ECC girls’ volleyball elite.
“This has got to be the smartest team I’ve ever had the pleasure of coaching,” Weissgarber said. “My expectations for this squad have increased tremendously. This team is very focused, very determined, and thrives on being the underdog. I’ve had teams that may have been more athletically gifted as a whole, but these girls here really get out there and outsmart their opponents very well. We have eight seniors and four juniors who have been together the whole time, so they’ve been playing together for three years. They are so adept at finding the holes and seeking out the weakest link on the other team.”
Being such a cognitive team is in part a reflection of team captain and senior, Maggie Higgins. In a recent home match against Plainfield, Ledyard was trailing 12-19 after losing the first game 22-25. With matches determined by whichever team wins three games first, Weissgarber was understandably animated on the sidelines, trying to give instructions while at the same time calm her team down.
Higgins went on to prove her worth as she properly positioned her teammates on the fly, stiffening the defense and winning the serve back, sparking a come-from-behind victory and winning the match 3-1. Plainfield may have been surprised by the mental fortitude Ledyard showed in fighting from behind to win, but Higgins and the rest of her teammates knew it was in them.
“We really have a good bond as teammates and with Coach [Weissgarber],” Higgins said following the match. “Volleyball’s not like other sports, you really have to know where your teammates are and what they’re doing in order for the team to work as a whole and we have that.”
Standout junior Ellen Fedij, also lovingly called “Michigan” in reference to the state she lived in prior to moving to Ledyard, agreed with Higgins and explained that the bond they share is a direct result of Weissgarber’s coaching.
“Just the trust we have in her, that’s one of the biggest things,” Fedij said. “It’s such a team sport, and we trust that if we do what she says we’ll be in a position to win. She’s also really good at motivating us and keeping us all on the same page.”
With their experience, intelligence, and mind-set, Weissgarber’s 2008 squad looks to be in a good position to make a run in their division, something she explained they’ve already decided upon.
“We’re expecting to make the state tournament,” Weissgarber said. “We’ve looked at our schedule and we see at least nine teams that we know we can take. If we win those matches alone we’ll make states and by qualifying for states we’ll automatically qualify for the ECC tournament. If we dig deep and play as smart as we know we can we’ll be able to challenge some of the bigger more dominant schools, and we can take them if we want it bad enough.”