The question for Mount Si volleyball fans to ponder is a simple one: will the Wildcats three-peat to make the state tournament for the third year in a row?
Head coach Bonnie Foote, back for her 10th season as coach of the team, hopes so — and she has a lot of solid players to make it happen. Veterans include seniors Robyn Schirmer and Shelagh Macaulay and juniors Aubrey Larion and Zoe Gogan, all of whom are veterans of the last two state tournament runs. Mount Si finished 18-6 last season and took ninth at state, and had an eighth place finish in 2007.
Experienced players will help fill the big shoes left behind by Miranda Pratt, who graduated and is now playing for the University of Idaho.
The Wildcats continue to grow. More than 50 players turned out for fall tryouts, and Foote had to cut some girls. Cutting athletes is a double-edged sword.
“It’s always nice when you can see a lot of kids come out to your program,” she said. “It’s always sad, too, because you think, ‘Wow, we could have four teams right now. You hate to turn kids away. But I’d rather be in a position where we’re having to turn kids away, than not having enough kids to field teams.”
Growth can be attributed to several factors, namely the strong local middle school programs.
“Every single year, our middle school coaches are doing the best they can to get these kids ready for high school,” Foote said. “They’re coming to our camps; we’re having our middle school camp; we’re trying to train their coaches to run our system. Because of that, the kids are coming in with more and more knowledge of what it is to play at Mount Si and be a part of it.”
With a potentially young team, Macaulay knows she will need to lead as one of just two seniors.
“I’m a proud believer in just leading by example,” she said. “Just do what you’ve got to do and hopefully everyone follows suit.”
Larion is looking ahead, too.
“I think we’re going to have a very strong junior group this year,” she said. “I’m excited to see what happens.”
Mount Si is expected to be right in the hunt for best in league, along with Mercer Island and Juanita. The Rebels handed the Wildcats a tough loss last season at Juanita, and will be a team that can’t be taken for granted in 2009.
“We have to stay focused on improving every day, every play,” Foote said.
Part of that improvement comes from offseason preparation. Larion, Gogan, Schirmer, Macaulay and several others in the program were involved in club teams during the offseason.
“The club is amazing,” Schirmer said. “Even though some clubs don’t run the same system as we do here at school, it gives us a lot of insight and information on the game. It opens up our minds and gives us a lot more choices on the court.”
Foote’s coaching staff, veteran assistants Dave Bachman, Callie Wesson and Dean Pratt, all return this fall. Foote said she’s pleased with her team of assistants.
“That is your bread and butter to your team and to your program,” she said.
