7-0 Royals off to best start since 2007, coach raves about team’s drama-free approach
COLONIAL HEIGHTS — At 7-0, the Prince George girls volleyball team is off to their best start since 2007, and head coach Wanda Gilbert feels that this year might be the chance for the Royals to make a big splash.
The reason, she says, is the team’s makeup. While there is an abundance of talent, Prince George also has a team with the right mindset for success, leading to some impactful early victories.
“These kids — no drama, they all care for each other,” Gilbert said. “They’re all nice young ladies. They’re just good human beings. They work together out there and they love each other.”
The Royals have already taken victories over programs such as Douglas Freeman and Lee-Davis this season, and won their first Central District game on Thursday over Colonial Heights, 3-0. The Royals have dropped just one set on the year, to Lee-Davis in the opener, a dominant display to begin 2019.
Gilbert says the team is deeper and more talented this season than the Royals have been in years, partly because there are more players who play travel volleyball than Prince George has had in the past.
“I’ve had years where I’ve had really good hitters, but not a very good setter. Then I’ve had years where I’ve had a pretty good setter, but not any really strong hitters,” she said. ”(This year) we’ve got it all. I can switch in different people for different places and it still works out, because they work so well together. We’ve got so many options.”
While the season is still young, with 13 games remaining, two upcoming non-district tilts might determine the team’s postseason prospects. The Royals will host Atlee on Thursday, September 26 before traveling to Mills Godwin the following Monday.
“Those are two pretty good challenges,” Gilbert said.
The Royals, though, have the leadership to overcome those challenges, behind four seniors, including setter Erin Beaver and libero Savannah Figueroa.
“Those are two seniors that have really sat into their role and taken it where it needs to go,” Gilbert said fo Beaver and Figueroa, noting that Beaver is a “silent” leader while Figueroa is “more vocal,” complementing each other. “They’ve done a really good job of leading the team, going in the right direction.”
With such a sterling record this season, Gilbert hasn’t had many moments of failure to point to, but said that her team is working on consistency in hitting and ball placement, two keys for the Royals to take wins next week.
Regardless of the outcome of those contests, though, it seems that Gilbert and Prince George have a perfect storm on their hands, with talent to make an impact and an overall team attitude to make that talent count.
“They want to get one percent better everyday, and they’re accepting that challenge,” Gilbert said of her team. “It just makes a huge difference when you’ve got kind, competitive, good human beings that are out there, that want to learn and want to get better. Really, you don’t always have that.”
By Jeff Milby, Progress-Index Staff
Jeff Milby can be reached at jmilby@progress-index.com or 804-722-5151. Follow him on twitter @JeffMilby.