Herndon Goes on the Attack, And on a Streak

Herndon Coach Pat Smith had always preached defensive volleyball, but she began to question the tenets of that philosophy after watching the Hornets lose several close matches over the past few seasons. As Smith studied the defeats, she realized the team's defensive emphasis was sapping its offensive aggressiveness.

"We decided we needed to change that," Smith said. "We weren't putting enough pressure on teams that were just swinging away on us. To win at this level, we needed to not back off and instead get the final points of the game. We needed to go on the attack and stay on the attack."

No. 10 Herndon (10-0) has taken the offensive, and the Hornets are off to their best start in school history with wins over Virginia AAA Northern Region powers Langley and Stone Bridge, as well as AA stalwart Heritage. They won both the Herndon Invitational and the Titan Classic at Dominion High.

Personnel, as well as philosophy, has propelled the Hornets, who have never made it past the region semifinals. Hannah Vick, Jess Strother and Kelly Madden are all taller than 5 feet 10, providing an imposing front line, while explosive outside hitter Stephanie Drozal has emerged as one of the finest players in the Northern Region.

Herndon has yet to navigate the most difficult patch of its schedule, which begins tonight when it kicks off its Concorde District slate at No. 7 Chantilly. The Hornets also must face powers Centreville and Westfield in the coming weeks, and that's merely in district play.

"We're going to keep putting more attacking pressure on the opponent," Smith said. "So far it's worked."

Centennial's Back

With each passing game and each passing match, Centennial is issuing a proclamation to the rest of Howard County that the Eagles have come to reclaim their throne atop Maryland volleyball.

After a down year in 2007 -- Centennial finished 11-5, sub-par for a program that has claimed 13 state titles since 1989 -- the Eagles haven't just won each of their first six matches this season, they've swept every opponent. With seven experienced seniors, including Molly Speicher and Ashley Fan, leading the way, the Eagles have snagged convincing victories over Mount Hebron (5-1) and defending Maryland 3A state champion Reservoir, which is reeling at the start of the season (3-4).

"I'm not sure if anyone can stop Centennial," Atholton Coach David Decker said. "With all of their seniors and how they're playing right now, it looks like Centennial will be at the top, with the rest of us fighting for that second spot."