When the Edgewood Academy volleyball team hits the court on August 20, the target painted on their backs will be bigger than ever.
Edgewood Academy has won the AISA Class AA Volleyball State Championship each of the last three seasons, and they enter the 2022 season aiming for their fourth title in a row.
And with Edgewood losing two very talented seniors, including their All-County setter from the 2021 season, the pressure to continue to win is higher than ever.
“I think it’s hard to continue to repeat,” head coach David DeLozier said. “I think that pressure naturally builds because everyone expects you to win regardless of the roster you have. The players know it, the parents know it, and the other schools know it. It’s kind of the elephant in the room, so to speak. But we know what it takes to get there. Just because the pressure is higher, we’re still going to work towards that goal with a new roster.”
DeLozier is entering his third season as the head coach of the Wildcats, and he has done nothing but win since he’s been at Edgewood Academy.
He isn’t the only one, however. Every one of the 13 girls on the Edgewood Academy team has won the state championship since at least their freshman year, so all they know is winning.
Despite the continuing winning, DeLozier hasn’t seen the team’s intensity or will to win dwindle in any way.
“The hardest thing you run into the most with a team that continues to win is finding ways to motivate yourself to keep getting better,” DeLozier said. “Winning is great, but sometimes you settle and the negative part of winning is that you think you’re good enough. For me as a coach, I have to find ways to still motivate them and find goals to aspire to that aren’t just winning state so that we can be the best on and off the court. I feel like that’s helped us stay focused on the big goal while also improving in other areas.”
While the team did lose two very talented seniors last year, the team returns a plethora of talent to the court. Lindsey Brown, who has picked up multiple college offers over the offseason, returns for her junior year.
She had a stellar sophomore season with 267 kills, 302 digs and 62 service aces.
Avery White, now a sophomore, will play a bigger role all over the court while Karlee Mainor, a staple in the lineup the last few years, returns and will patrol the middle of the court.
Up front will be the tall Madison Martin, who earned All-County honors last season after dominating at the net. Martin, who stands over 6-foot-tall, poses a huge problem for other teams across the net.
She really affects the way other teams play us,” DeLozier said of Martin. “If they have a strong middle or have a strong offense in the middle of the court, it’s kind of negated or almost offset because of Madison’s presence. It definitely makes our defense easier to play around because we have height at the net. We are a little bit bigger in terms of height across the net this year, so that’s helpful with our defense. we are still good defensively, but it’ll help out having size.”
Edgewood’s season starts on August 20 in the Glenwood varsity tournament. The team’s first home game will be on August 20 against Lakeside Academy.
