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Coach looks back on 13-7 BHS volleyball season
There must be an invisible brick wall set up at the Cedar Run District tournament semi-finals each year just for Battlefield.
For the sixth straight year, the Bobcats' volleyball team advanced past the quarter-finals only to drop in the semis, this time to Heritage, 3-1.
"We have not gotten over the hump yet," said head coach Chris Lem.
Lem's goal is for his team to secure an automatic berth to regions, whether it's with a No. 1 or No. 2 seed coming out of districts.
After all, every team the 13-7 Bobcats lost to this year either won district championships during the regular season or in the post-season.
That includes the Bobcats' three losses to regular-season Cedar Run District champion Heritage and two losses to Northwest Region champs Loudoun Valley. Evergreen District winner Kettle Run and Commonwealth District champion Albermarle handed the Bobcats their other two defeats.
"So, (they're) not bad losses for us," said Lem.
Fourth-year varsity outside hitter Kelly Milione credited her teammates for being the most cohesive BHS team of her tenure.
"I definitely think our team this year was much more on page," said Milione, adding that the girls kept personal drama to a minimum.
What the 2009 team showed was a never-say-die attitude, evident in that only Loudoun Valley shut out Battlefield this year while the Bobcats blanked the opposition in 12 of their 13 wins.
"During games, we don't give up," she said.
Milione, the team leader in kills, set a team record for the most number of votes in her selection to the all-district first team.
Four-year libero Mikaela Whitaker, who holds the school record for most career digs and even set a state record for most in one game, earned second-team all-district honors along with Nicole Doxsee and Alyssa Caudle.
Meanwhile, first-year starting blocker Bailey Liddle ended up as an all-district honorable mention.
"We are very excited about Bailey," said Lem, referencing the 6-footer's height. "She is coachable."
This year's varsity team pulled off a couple of firsts. Never had the Bobcats beat Lem's alma mater Robinson, and this year the girls did it in resounding fashion by shutting out the Rams 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 29-27) in Haymarket on Oct. 5.
"It's bittersweet," said Lem, who still hopes the team from Fairfax can be the first Northern Region team to bring home a state title.
Lem's next two challenges will be advancing past the two Loudoun County schools in the district. In order to do that, he needs future stars like outside hitter Jasmine Mann and setter Sofia Gasperino.
If the success of Battlefield's freshman and junior varsity programs are any indication, the Bobcats have a potentially bright future as the freshman girls tied for first in the district and the JV team finished the year with a 13-6 record.
"We need to be in that district final at least once. We need that regional experience," said Lem. "That's something I plan on."
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