Raiders strive to continue ascent

WILLIAMSBURG — An ascending team. That’s the Raiders.

From 6-26 the first season under head coach Brittni Powell to 18-11 last season, the Williamsburg volleyball team hopes to continue its rise.

The Raiders .621 winning percentage last season was the highest since 2010 as they advanced to the second round of regional play.

The Raiders carry that excitement into this season as official practice began Monday.

“We had a really good turnout at the IGCA camp last week,” Powell said. “We got to run a ton of different lineups and test out combinations.”

The Raiders return a lot of experience, but what the lineup will look like on the court is still being worked out.

“We don’t really know where we’re going yet fully,” Powell said. “We have a lot of things we’re trying out.”

One of the positions still being worked out is the starting libero position, held last season by lone senior Kalon Spratt who has graduated.

The Raiders will also have plenty of options when it comes to substitutions.

“We have a lot of options with subs.” Powell said. “We’re young, but we still have a lot of experience.”

Offensive aggression will also be a focal point for the Raiders this season.

“Our offense is the best defense,” Powell said. “We’re really going to push this year for our offense to be aggressive, and also with serves.”

The Suhr sisters are at the top of the list when it comes to returning production.

Clarissa, first team WaMaC West selection last season, now a junior, led the team in kills with 180. Kylee, a sophomore, was a second team WaMaC West selection last season and was second in kills with 167, while also leading the team in blocks (63).

“I love being able to play with her, especially being the leaders out there,” Clarissa Suhr said. “We have a lot of fun together.”

Both have felt their games are improved heading into this season.

“We’ve both become more versatile and have improved our shots and how smart we are,” Clarissa Suhr said. “We really build off each other.”

Why do the Raiders most feel they can take another leap this season?

Their mentality.

“We’re really focusing on mentality this year,” Powell said. “We have binders, and our girls are really focusing on goal setting and confidence building.”

As a young team last season, the Raiders expected to have some growing pains, but they can’t let mental mistakes pile up and allow scoring runs.

“I think this season is going to be our breakthrough,” Powell said. “Last year was a really good season for us, but it’s now about if we can keep growing on top of that.”

Clarissa Suhr has also seen herself grow mentally.

“I’m definitely mentally stronger than I used to be,” Clarissa Suhr said. “I struggled with confidence, but with others feeding off you, I need to be able to flush things and move onto the next play.”

The Raiders open their season Aug. 26 in the Lisbon Classic.

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