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Last year, Montgomery County sent its maximum of three girls volleyball teams to the MPSSAA state tournament.
Magruder fell in the Class 4A state semifinals, while Damascus came up short in 3A. Poolesville, which has since moved up to 2A, capped an undefeated campaign by capturing its first state title at Class 1A. All three teams will have first-round byes and legitimate chances to repeat as regional champions when the postseason kicks off later this week.
"It's an interesting format," Magruder head coach Scott Zanni said. "There are four rounds of playoffs over eight nights. No one plays four games in that time during regular season. So it's a little bit of a war of attrition."
4A West Region
While the Colonels (19-0 overall, 13-0 regular season through Sunday) may be the favorites in the all-Montgomery County Class 4A West Region, back-to-back trips to the University of Maryland's Ritchie Coliseum are far from guaranteed. Nine of the 13 contenders sport winning records.
While boasting the region's most prolific outside hitter in senior Michelle Fowle (218 kills), the region's top seed has plenty of contributing parts. Juniors Xiaoyi Li and Molly Hirrlinger provide support on the offensive end, while seniors Brittany Skrutski and Lisa Poole lead a solid defensive squad.
Their stiffest competition may come from second-seeded Gaithersburg, which captured the 2005 4A state crown. The Trojans' (12-1) lone loss came in a sweep by Magruder on Oct. 22.
All-Gazette libero Bianca Livioco, senior Bridget Kulesh and junior Kirby Buttry should keep the Trojans on track for a rematch with Magruder in the final. However, their fate may lie in the hands of setter Mackenzie Cockerill.
"We didn't make any major changes [since the Magruder match] other than in between the ears," Staymates said. "It's just a matter of trusting each other, refocusing and just having fun."
Do not count out third-seeded Walter Johnson (11-2) or fourth-seeded Wootton (14-5, 10-3). Both teams are balanced and are capable of competing with anyone.
The Patriots are led by senior setter Jenn Chen (385 assists) and hitters Abby Hsiung (111 kills) and Allison Wynant (122 kills). Watch for Kathy Pao, Anna Elder and Stephanie Paul to pace the Wildcats.
However, No. 5 Paint Branch could pose the biggest threat. The dark horse Panthers (12-5, 10-3) are lurking, having taken Gaithersburg and Wootton to five sets, Magruder to four, and beating Walter Johnson.
Seniors Kate McGrew, Elaina Straub and Sammy Fean form one of the strongest trios, in the county while freshman hitting sensation Teynia Shepherd (167 kills) has been outstanding.
Senior Robbin Lee guides a young and upset-minded Sherwood (12-6, 9-4) squad. The Warriors finished with the sixth best record, but were seeded 13th in the random draw and travel to Wootton in the first round.
3A West Region
Damascus (10-3) garnered the top spot for the second consecutive year. Sam Edwards and the rest of the veteran Swarmin' Hornets are in good position to repeat, as they are the only team in the region with a record above .500.
2A West Region
No. 4 Poolesville (12-1) earned the second seed as the county's top representative in the region. The bump up in classification is new to the Falcons, but winning is not. Longtime coach Fran Duvall has her ever-improving team rolling. They have won 11 in a row dating back to Sept. 11 against Gaithersburg.
Senior Kelly Rosenberg and junior All-Gazette libero Paige Sekerak, the only two holdovers from last year's team, hope their state championship pedigree will pay dividends.