By Matthew Stanmyre and Ryan Mink
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, September 13, 2007
If Kelsey Maloney had been nervous, none of her coaches or teammates would have faulted her. After all, for Westfield's volleyball match against Annandale on Monday night, a scout from the University of Wisconsin had flown roughly 700 miles specifically to watch Maloney play.
But the senior middle hitter had been through much worse, and the presence of a big-time scout would not affect her mind-set. Maloney missed most of last season after contracting Lyme disease in late September, an illness that forced her to be home-schooled for the rest of the year.
Though still working back into form, Maloney led Westfield to a straight-set win against the Atoms with 12 kills, 2 aces and 3 digs. For the year, the 6-foot-3 Maloney has 53 kills, 19 digs and 7 blocks for Westfield (4-1), the two-time defending Virginia AAA Northern Region champion. Clemson, Southern Mississippi and East Carolina, among others, also are courting Maloney.
"Is she 100 percent yet? No," Bulldogs Coach Jim Bour said. "But she's progressing every day and every week. She's only going to continue to improve."
Legend to Coach JeffersonJefferson has named legendary coach Todd Jesdale to lead its boys' rowing program. Jesdale, who comes from the Shrewsbury School in Britain, replaces Jim Granger, who stepped down last month after leading the boys' varsity eight to a national title.
Jesdale has won 13 championships at the Henley Cup Regatta on the Thames River in more than 40 years of coaching.
"When Jim left, we were nervous that we wouldn't be able to find a replacement that would be able to maintain that same level of success," said Jeff Hoel, president of Jefferson's crew board.
"We are absolutely thrilled," Hoel said. "He's going to be a great mentor and a great coach for this program."
Jesdale coached at Cornell University from 1962 to 1973, and served three stints as head coach of the U.S. men's junior national team. Most recently, he guided Shrewsbury to the Princess Elizabeth Cup this summer at the Henley Regatta, where his team competed against Jefferson, which lost in the quarterfinals.
Granger resigned last month to become the men's coach at Florida Tech.
High Standards at Flint HillThe Flint Hill boys' soccer team has scored 25 goals in five games this season, yet its coach, Chris Brown, is disappointed in its offensive production.
The Huskies, who have 10 seniors on the roster, opened their season with a 6-0 win over Bullis, who shared last season's Interstate Athletic Conference championship. Then, after a 1-1 tie against Eastern Mennonite, Flint Hill beat Cape Henry, 8-2; Episcopal, 7-3; and Potomac School, 3-0. The victory over Potomac School on Tuesday came without standout senior forward Howard Turk, who was on the U.S. men's national under-17 residency program last year.
"This is the best team I've had in the nine years as a coach at Flint Hill," Brown said. "I feel confident saying that I think this year we would be able to hold our own against the top [Washington Catholic Athletic Conference] teams."
Soccer StalemateThe top two teams in The Post's boys' soccer rankings, DeMatha and Gonzaga, played to a 2-2 tie on Sunday in their first meeting of the season. Gonzaga (4-1-1, 4-0-1 WCAC) had the lead twice during the game and surrendered a goal on a penalty kick.
The Stags (4-0-1, 4-0-1) are ranked second in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll. Gonzaga Coach Scott Waller said he was not surprised with the result because of how close the games have been between the two rivals during the past three years.
Injury Carousel at Severna ParkTop-ranked Severna Park had one key field hockey player return from injury, but lost another before its 10-0 season-opening win Tuesday against North County.
Senior Julie Gardner, who had stress fractures in her foot diagnosed after leading the Falcons to a state lacrosse championship in the spring, started athletic activities last week and felt well enough to play this week. Falcons Coach Lil Shelton said the honorable mention All-Met has been moved from midfield, where she excelled last year, to defense.
"We don't want to send her on long runs yet, that's why she's on defense," Shelton said. "She can bring the ball up and get rid of it. She has a great stick and a great sense of the field."
Another defender, junior Megan Lusby, had her kneecap fractured by an opponent's stick in a scrimmage last week. Karen Lusby, Megan's mother, said her daughter will wear a knee immobilizer for six weeks and the doctor estimated the time of recovery at three months, meaning she will likely be out for the entire season.
Special correspondent Jeff Nelson contributed to this report.
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