Raiders' net improvement
JACKSON TWP — You see it all the time.
A high school sports team meets with a disappointing end to one season, then uses it as motivation when the next season rolls around.
The Seneca Valley girls volleyball team is the latest example.
The Raiders barely made the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs in 2006, then pulled off upset wins over Norwin and Pine-Richland before losing a heartbreaking five-game match to eventual champion Moon in the semifinals.
"We almost beat Moon and it was such a tough loss for the girls," said second-year Raiders head coach Karen Martini.
SV has turned that frustration from 11 months ago into efficient and often dominant play this season.
The Raiders (8-1, 6-0) just wrapped up the first half of their Section 3 schedule by defeating Butler, 3-2 on Tuesday. To date, it's the only section match in which an opponent forced a fifth game.
Other section wins have come against New Castle, Pine-Richland, North Hills, North Allegheny and Hampton.
The Raiders' lone defeat was in a nonconference meeting with Mt. Lebanon.
Leading this year's team is a group of four seniors, including setter Lauren Balmert, middle hitters Justine Carrow and Jen Boyd and defensive specialist Emily Hannon.
Other players who see significant time on the court are outside hitters Sarah Beals and Jillian Galloway, middle hitter Meghan Franz and libero Maggie Gillooly. All of them are juniors.
"I'd put our starting lineup up against any team," said Martini. "But every starter has at least one, if not two players, behind her who can fill in."
And each player is as confident in her teammates as she is in herself.
"That confidence helps a lot," said Boyd. "I don't believe any team can keep winning with just one good player."
This year's seniors were freshmen when Seneca Valley won its last WPIAL title in 2004.
"I dressed but did not play when that team was making its playoff run," said Balmert. "They were so inspiring with the way they performed and all the excitement that surrounded the team."
The Raiders recently competed against a high school team from China in an exhibition, losing a hard-fought match 3-2.
No one is certain if that experience will aid SV as it eyes a section championship and beyond, but it certainly can't hurt.
"It's always good to play a strong and competitive team," Balmert said. "You usually play your best against better competition."
This year's team isn't hoping to win the WPIAL title — it's expecting it.
"It would definitely be disappointing if we didn't win the WPIAL," Balmert said. "That's what we're all pushing for."
