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SMYRNA, Del. —
Smyrna is a sports town. While most sports have been ingrained in the community for years, volleyball is a relative new addition to the Smyrna sports scene.
After just seven years of having a team at Smyrna High School, the volleyball program has found it’s way to be one of the top sports programs in the area.
The success of the volleyball program was taken to new heights in the fall when the high school team finished their season 13-2 and was seeded #7 in the state tournament.
“We recently had the state coaches meeting and we have established ourselves as the highest ranked program from a public school,” said junior varsity coach Marc Deisem.
Birth of a program
Head coach Danny Wandless said the volleyball team at the high school was started in 2005 after parents and students in the community expressed interest. The first year of the team, roughly 50 girls came out for the team.
In the seven years of the team, they’ve only had two losing seasons. The high school team qualified for the state tournament in just their third year and has done so in four of the team’s seven seasons.
The team’s success can be contributed to the dedication of the girl’s in the program.
“It’s an exciting sport to play and a lot of girls were interested in the sport right out of the gate,” Wandless said. “They were committed during the season and in the off-season with club volleyball and different camps where they improved their skills.”
Youth volleyball
The Junior Volleyball League has been an option for younger girls in the area for seven years. The league is open for girls in grades third through eighth, and is an opportunity for the girls to learn the fundaments of volleyball.
“Our number one goal is to create a fuller knowledge of the game so when they get to the high school, they’ll know as well as be more familiar with the game,” Wandless said.
Deisem and Wandless coach the teams in grades third through fifth; girls from the high school team coach grades sixth through eighth.
“All the girls that coach in the program, except for one, came up through the JVL,” Deisem said.
Seniors Ryann Doelze and Jenna Williams, and sophomore Morgan Popovich are three of the girls from the high school team coaching in the JVL program. All three started their volleyball career in the JVL program.
Smyrna is a sports town. While most sports have been ingrained in the community for years, volleyball is a relative new addition to the Smyrna sports scene.
After just seven years of having a team at Smyrna High School, the volleyball program has found it’s way to be one of the top sports programs in the area.
The success of the volleyball program was taken to new heights in the fall when the high school team finished their season 13-2 and was seeded #7 in the state tournament.
“We recently had the state coaches meeting and we have established ourselves as the highest ranked program from a public school,” said junior varsity coach Marc Deisem.
Birth of a program
Head coach Danny Wandless said the volleyball team at the high school was started in 2005 after parents and students in the community expressed interest. The first year of the team, roughly 50 girls came out for the team.
In the seven years of the team, they’ve only had two losing seasons. The high school team qualified for the state tournament in just their third year and has done so in four of the team’s seven seasons.
The team’s success can be contributed to the dedication of the girl’s in the program.
“It’s an exciting sport to play and a lot of girls were interested in the sport right out of the gate,” Wandless said. “They were committed during the season and in the off-season with club volleyball and different camps where they improved their skills.”
Youth volleyball
The Junior Volleyball League has been an option for younger girls in the area for seven years. The league is open for girls in grades third through eighth, and is an opportunity for the girls to learn the fundaments of volleyball.
“Our number one goal is to create a fuller knowledge of the game so when they get to the high school, they’ll know as well as be more familiar with the game,” Wandless said.
Deisem and Wandless coach the teams in grades third through fifth; girls from the high school team coach grades sixth through eighth.
“All the girls that coach in the program, except for one, came up through the JVL,” Deisem said.
Seniors Ryann Doelze and Jenna Williams, and sophomore Morgan Popovich are three of the girls from the high school team coaching in the JVL program. All three started their volleyball career in the JVL program.
“I would encourage kids to come out for JVL and the summer leagues,” Doelze said.
Popovich said the junior program is an asset because the coaches can enforce the right skills now so the girls will know before they get to high school.
What about a middle school team?
At this point, Smyrna Middle School doesn’t have a volleyball team. But it’s something both Deisem and Wandless would like to see happen in the future.
Having a middle school team would allow the girls to see what it’s like to play in a competitive program, Wandless said.
“We have exhausted all of our non-school related resources,” Deisem said.
Girls in the JVL are all but ready to play in middle school…if there was a team.
Katie Deisem and Reece Trabaudo are both sixth graders who love to play volleyball. “I’ve been playing for five years. I like just about everything about it and would play in middle school and high school,” Katie Deisem said.
High School Athletic Director Bill Schultz said a middle school team is a good idea and it’s a possibility for the future.
Goals for the future
Other than getting a middle school team, Wandless said the goals in the future for the high school team are to be competitive and win the conference championship as well as qualify for the state tournament.
“I will not be able to sleep until we win the conference and do well in the state,” Wandless said. “We want to build champions.”
Next year’s team will be vastly different as nine seniors are graduating this spring.
For the girls that have come up through the JVL and the high school team, this past season was quite the achievement.
“I feel great to be a factor and to know I helped the program grow,” Williams said. “It was amazing to know that we made history in Smyrna.”
Email Jennifer Dailey at jennifer.dailey@doverpost.com.
