FAIRLEA- For the last 20-plus years, the Greenbrier East Lady Spartan volleyball program was led by Matt Sauvage who piled up over 600 wins in his career.
But in 2025, the program will head in a different direction with a new coach leading the way in Dawn McClure.
McClure coached at Eastern Greenbrier Middle School for the last nine seasons. She played for East and in college at Salem-Teikyo and was hired over the summer to lead the Spartans into a new legacy era that is hoped to be filled with lots of wins and a bunch of memories.
Last year, the Lady Spartans finished 33-17-4 and lost four key seniors, but McClure has made sure her girls know that looking in the rear-view mirror is not an option.
“We’re not looking back,” she said.
“However, we want to continue to develop and build on the talent on hand, using our strengths to find success,” she added.
This season, East brings back 14 players from last year and will welcome seven newcomers to the roster. Four varsity players from last year will be a good starting point for coach McClure as those four all have not only experience, but talent as well.
Junior Reagan Cline will play at Libero this season and senior Mackenna McClure, Dawn’s daughter, will have a dual role. Fellow senior Regan Rink and sophomore Paige Totten are both returning middle hitters that have had plenty of success in the past. Another player that will play a big role this season is sophomore Emmy McHale. She worked into a right-side Hitter position last season and will very likely move to an outside spot this year.
Other players to keep an eye on according to the coach are Emily McClure, Kenna Humphreys, Sydney Norman, and Emma Dauwel who will make nice additions to the lineup.
Ciara Sheppard, Adria Ratliff, Penelope Campbell, Calla Fauber, and Alexa Speilman will all bring beneficial experience to the team as well.
A newcomer to the high school level but not the sport is Aryn Cleghon. She brings great energy to the team per coach McClure, and Piper Baldwin will also be a newcomer and first year volleyball player to conclude the upperclassman part of the roster.
There are five incoming freshmen in Kinsley Cole, Kaylee Roberts, Emma Erskine, Adyson Donovan, and Madi Davis. With a combination of skills and hard work, this group shows a promising future for the program.
The Spartans open up the regular season on Tuesday, August 26th on the road at Shady Spring.
“We are looking to learn and grow game to game and be a versatile team, exploring rotations,” McClure said.
