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Last year, that streak ended when Broadneck defeated Wootton in the state final. Is the county poised for a comeback, or is it in for another year without a title?

"The thing that I keep reminding people is that [before 2003] we went almost a decade without a state championship," Magruder coach Scott Zanni said. "Last year was not a big deal. In fact, the county is wide open again this year."

Several teams have a shot at returning to county to the top of the state volleyball scene, including Poolesville, which returns 11 players to a squad that lost just once a year ago. Magruder and Gaithersburg are seasoned and playoff-tested, while Blake, not so long ago an also-ran in the county, is emerging as a team that has a chance to be in the state playoffs.

That parity might mean some unexpected losses for the top teams, but it might also mean that by the time the state finals roll around, a battle-tested squad will represent the county.

"You are going to see the usual suspects," Zanni said. "There are a lot of question marks surrounding these teams but not a lot of change. We all have to fight it out and see who is still standing."

One team that has high hopes that it will be in the winner's circle at the end of the year is Poolesville, which returns a host of players. The Falcons are so deep, in fact, that the first 11 players saw significant time on the court last season.

Leading them are several seniors, including setter Jenny Better and middle hitters Jessica Chittenden and Chelsea Glowacki. Sophomore Paige Sekerak saw significant time as a freshman and may be the Falcons' most dangerous player.

The hope is that a difficult regular season, played against mostly Class 4A teams, will lead to success in the 1A West Region playoffs. Last year, Poolesville followed up an undefeated regular season with a disappointing exit in the regional semifinals. The formula to avoid that fate this year is simple, according to coach Fran Duvall.

"We have to take control of the ball on the court and show our toughness every day," she said.

The defending 4A West Region champion is Wootton, but graduation has wreaked havoc on the roster. Only junior setter Jennifer Chen played a pivotal role on last year's team, which reached the state finals.

"We lost four seniors that were over 5-foot-10," coach Mary Malinauskas said. "We didn't replace them height-wise or experience- wise, so we are going to start from scratch and make a go of it."

This year, Chen will set to junior hitter Allison Wynant and a new face to the varsity, junior middle hitter Kassandra Reyes. The task will be not to compare this year to last year, but to enjoy the journey of the season.

"It's going to be a hard-working year," Malinauskas said. "We have the enthusiasm of youth and the hunger and willingness to learn."

Another team with high hopes is Gaithersburg. A year ago, the team suffered a disappointing loss to Wootton in the regional semifinals, but with the graduation of several players, the task of taking the team farther falls on some younger faces.

"We are pretty young," Gaithersburg coach Michele Staymates said. "But we have experience beyond our years. What we lack in age, we make up for in talent."

Hitters Kirby Buttry, Allison McCabe and Briget Kulesch will lead the offense, but the catalyst of the team may come from the back line in the form of junior libero Bianca Liviocco.

"She does a great job of reading hitters," Staymates said. "She's quicker and smarter than a year ago. She plays libero like she's made for it."

Magruder, on the other hand, has been working hard to exorcise some demons. In the past two years, the Colonels have had the top seed in the 4A West Region playoffs, only to lose in the semifinals.

"We've taken some bad losses over the last couple of years and I am still irritated about it," Zanni said. "I think that the girls have sort of seen that in practice. I am a little louder this year."

Though the Colonels graduated leading hitter Alex Coleman, they have middle hitter Corrie Smoot returning, as well as Andrea Fort, who will move to libero this year. Michelle Fowle steps in to play outside hitter.

"We are a little more balanced than we have been in the recent past," Zanni said. "I don't know if we have that go-to player that will take 50 swings at the ball, but we have a lot of kids that can hit it. We're deeper."

Damascus has seen success in the past few years, following an appearance in the Class 4A state final in 2006 with the top seed in the 3A West Region playoffs last year. That run ended in a disappointing loss in the regional semifinals, and the graduation of setter Arielle Goldberg and hitter Colleen Francis. But with the return of senior outside hitter Samatha Bonturi, the Swarmin' Hornets may continue their run in the elite of the county.

Clarksburg continues to develop the foundations of a program. In their third year as a varsity program, the Coyotes hope to make some strides forward.

Junior Taylor Randall will set, and is expected the get the ball to hitters Alexa Walker and Cynthia Alfaro, as well as a senior transfer from St. John's (D.C), Katherine Ziemke. How accurate those passes are may translate to how many wins Clarksburg gets.

"Passing, passing, passing, that's what we need to work on," Tippett said. "If we can get the ball to our setters that will translate to more hits, which leads to more points."

At Watkins Mill, coach Jody Tyler wants her charges to break out of the pattern they've fallen in to over the past few years. The Wolverines can be counted on to beat the teams they are supposed to, but often fold against those with better records. Senior hitter Kim Van Lowe and setter Susanna Munoz hope to reverse that trend.

"We want to be the upset team this year," Tyler said. "We need to believe in ourselves in all situations, not just the ones that we think we can win."

Northwest also hopes to rebound from a 5-9 season a year ago. New coach Rob Smith has the advantage of returning the Jaguars' most accomplished player, junior all-arounder Jessica Warner.

"She's definitely someone to watch this season," he said. "We're not very tall, but she will make an impact."

In fact, sophomore outside hitter Rebecca Seiler is the team's tallest player at 5-foot-10, and freshman Rachel Townsend will also be at the net, underscoring the Jaguars' youth.

At Seneca Valley, the hope is that the team can reach the .500 level. For a team that had one win last year, that would be a significant improvement.

"Ball control and continuity will be very important to the team this year," coach Bruce Burris said. "If we cannot pass the ball, then it is going to be a very long year."

Junior Danielle Rosati and seniors Swati Singhania and Yveline Marchal will lead the attack. Junior Jessica Rosati and freshman Laura Chaque will also be asked to contribute.

Clarksburg Coyotes

Head coach: Terri Tippett, 3rd year

Last year's record: 1-12

Last state title: None

Players to watch: Taylor Randall (Jr., S), Cynthia Alfaro (Jr., OH), Katherine Ziemke (Sr., MH)

Damascus Swarmin' Hornets

Head coach: Brandie Couch, 2nd year

Last year's record: 13-4

Last state title: None

Players to watch: Samantha Bonturi (Sr., OH)

Gaithersburg Trojans

Head coach: Michele Staymates, 19th year

Last year's record: 13-4

Last state title: 2005 (1st)

Players to watch: Bianca Liviocco (Jr., L), Allison McCabe (Sr., OH), Kirby Buttry (Soph., OH)

Magruder Colonels

Head coach: Scott Zanni, 18th year

Last year's record: 20-2

Last state title: None

Players to watch: Allison Musser (Sr., OH), Corrie Smoot (Sr., MH)

Northwest Jaguars

Head coach: Rob Smith, 1st year

Last year's record: 7-7

Last state title: None

Players to watch: Jessica Warner (Jr., S), Hannah Yi (Sr., all-around), Rachel Townsend (Fr., OH/MH)

Poolesville Falcons

Head coach: Fran Duvall, 12th year

Last year's record: 15-1

Last state title: None

Players to watch: Jenny Better (Sr., S), Chelsea Glowacki (Sr., MH), Jessica Chittenden (Sr., MH)

Quince Orchard Cougars

Head coach: Stacy Bureau, 1st year

Last year's record: 8-6

Last state title: 2003 (1st)

Players to watch: Jessica Romero (Sr., L), Cristina Garcia (Soph., S)

Seneca Valley

Screaming Eagles

Head coach: Bruce Burris, 2nd year

Last year's record: 1-16

Last state title: None

Players to watch: Danielle Rosati (Jr., S), Swati Singhania (Sr., OH), Yveline Marchal (Sr., MH)

Watkins Mill Wolverines

Head coach: Jody Tyler, 4th year

Last year's record: 7-6

Last state title: None

Players to watch: Kim Van Lowe (Sr., OH), Susanna Munoz (Jr., S), Gretta Digbeu (Sr., MH/OH)

Wootton Patriots

Head coach: Mary Malinauskas, 3rd year

Last year's record: 10-3

Last state title: 1989 (7th)

Players to watch: Jennifer Chen (Jr., S), Allison Wynant (Jr., OH), Kassandra Reyes (Jr., MH)