FAIRLEA- Can you believe it is already the start of another school year? Well, that can only mean one thing.
Greenbrier East volleyball is back, which means a lot of hard-hitting action and tournaments in Spartan Gym are on the horizon for the fall of 2024.
Head coach Matt Sauvage will now focus solely on his volleyball team now that he has resigned as head basketball coach of the James Monroe Mavericks where he won two state titles and was elevated to legendary status over an 8-year run.
Although there are some key losses from last year’s regional qualifying team to be replaced– Dia Sauvage, Gracie Gumm, Taylor Boswell, Peyton Barker, and Jenna Groves to name a few– Sauvage is a new kind of excited about this year’s team and feels they have a strong chance for many accomplishments.
“We are very excited about this team,” Sauvage said.
“They are very talented and have a very high ceiling. The young ladies have a chance to make a deep post-season run this year. We are excited to get this season started,” he added.
The roster includes 21 players consisting of some returning contributors and some fresh new faces that will seek to become household names in the area.
Seniors Mollie Pack and Alexis Stack—two outside hitters and defensive specialists– are back and big things are expected from both. Pack will be a fourth-year starter while Stack will be hitting the court and starting for the third year.
“Mollie will have a huge impact on the team’s success and Alexis is one of the best hitters in the state. She should have an outstanding year,” Sauvage stressed.
Fellow senior Hailey Ervin returns and will adapt to a newer role this season. After being a setter in the past, this year she will transition to a defensive specialist which her coach is excited about.
“She will be vital to the success of this team,” Sauvage said of Ervin.
The fourth and final senior on the team is right side hitter, Karma Jacobs.
Three-year starter Mackenna McClure is back, and her versatility makes her a key piece to the Spartans puzzle for this upcoming season.
“Her freshman year she started as a middle blocker, sophomore year a setter/ right side hitter, and as of right now this year she is setting in a 5-1. She could be one of our better hitters but as of right now is setting for us,” Sauvage explained.
Junior Regan Rink is a tall, 6-foot option which makes her the perfect player to put up close to the net as a middle blocker and that is exactly the plan for Sauvage and his coaching staff.
“We are expecting her to have a breakout year this year as a blocker and a hitter,” the coach said.
Sophomore Reagan Cline and freshman Paige Totten (5-foot-10) are some younger athletic options for the Spartans. Cline will be a defensive specialist, and Totten will take on the role of middle blocker due to her height as well.
Reagan is very athletic, and we expect her to sure up our back row for us,” Sauvage said.
“Paige is picking up the game quickly and will play a big role in the middle of our defense,” he continued.
Other potential contributors for East this year include junior Emily McClure, sophomores Campbell Bundy and Sydney Norman, and freshmen Calla Fauber, Emmy McHale, and Emma Dauwel,
The Spartans will open their season on August 27 on the road when they play Riverside and South Charleston.
The 2024 complete roster:
Mollie Pack
Alexis Stack
Hailey Ervin
Karma Jacobs
Mackenna McClure
Regan Rink
Reagan Cline
Paige Totten
Emily McClure
Campbell Bundy
Sydney Norman
Calla Fauber
Emmy McHale
Emma Dauwel
Kenna Humphreys
Ale Vazquez
Adria Ratliff
Ciara Sheppard
Penelope Campbell
Cadence Walker
Alexa Spielman
