DelTech Volleyball Aces First Test (State News 9/6/09)
In program's inaugural season, Hawks have started 12-1
By Dave Hughes: Delaware State News
Kelly Duffy realized the challenge was steep but was willing to accept the difficulty of the situation. Starting a women;s volleyball team from scratch for the 2009 season at Delaware Technical & Community College's Terry Campus presented a host of obstacles. Chief among them was that Duffy, a former Wesley assistant who agreed to take the head coaching position in the spring, didn't have any players.
Signs were posted around campus. Anyone interested in playing volleyball could try out. Duffy really didn't know what to expect. How many girls would respond? How much talent was available? "My expectations were it was going to be a challenge," she said.
She didn't realize it at the time, but from that humble beginning a spark had been lit. Not in her wildest dreams did Duffy imagine how successful the first year of DelTech Hawk volleyball would become. Members of the inaugural roster, all of whom where already enrolled at the college, have blossomed into a formidable team that has posted a 12-1 record. The Hawks are currently using St. Thomas More Academy's gym in Magnolia as their home.
"Never," Duffy responded when asked if she imagined a start this fantastic. "I was hopeful we would have a .500 record the first year," she said. "They just keep raising the bar. Every time they step on the floor they improve. The girls are a family. They play well together. They've just come together more than I could have ever imagined."
Sarah Eberly, a Dover High product and team captain, plays primarily as an outside hitter. She said she was in the college's weight room one day in the spring when she noticed the sign on the wall seeking volleyball tryouts. "I signed my name up," said Eberly, who originally attended Delaware State University but didn't play volleyball there. "I figured I've been playing all my life, so I can play here."
Chelsea Markel, a setter and team captain who graduated from Smyrna High, described the evolution of the team as "amazing, the best feeling in the world." Markel said she enrolled at DelTech never dreaming a team would be formed. "I felt kind of confident it would happen, but then again, there was a little voice in the back of my head saying, don't get your hopes up," she said.
As it turned out, her hopes were fulfilled. "We didn't know what kind of team we were going to have," Markel said. "It was just like trial and error and see what happens."
About 30 candidates came out, a group Duffy eventually whittled to 11 to form the first squad. "When we first started there was no knowledge there would be a volleyball team this fall," Duffy said. "All the girls came out by chance. It was totally random. They were not picked at all."
Though some of the girls knew each other from high school - three attended Dover High and one each came from Smyrna and Polytech - it was hard to imagine a cohesive unit being born right away. The Hawks also feature two players from Florida, one from California and another from Iowa. But a bond was formed immediately. Other Dover High products include Leslie Siegel and Kelsey Cordon. Jen Wilson graduated from Polytech.
"When we came out on the court there was just a natural chemistry." Eberly said. "All the girls get along well, We don't fight. We play well as a team."
Success came instantly, as the Hawks won their first three matches and six of the first seven by 3 - 0 scores. The only loss to date came at Harcum College (Pa.), a defeat DelTech avenged with a 3 - 1 victory Tuesday at St. Thomas More. Duffy and her players are looking ahead to the NJCAA Region 19 tournament on Oct. 24 at Lackawanna in Scranton, Pa.
Tuesday night the Hawks got solid performances from a number of players. Markel had 2 kills, 12 assists, 2 aces, 4 digs, and 1 block; Eberly had 24 kills, 6 assists, 4 aces, 34 digs, and 9 blocks; Wilson, 1 ace, 16 digs; Condron, 2 kills, 9 digs, 3 blocks; Siegel, 1 kill, 2 aces, 19 digs; Shannon Green, 15 kills, 3 assists, 1 ace, 35 digs, 10 blocks; Ashlie Larimore, 11 kills, 2 assists, 14 digs, 10 blocks; and Tiffany Parry, 13 kills, 2 assists, 3 aces, 27 digs, 6 blocks.
Duffy, currently enrolled in DelTech-Terry's nursing program, was recommended by Wesley head coach Jerry Szabo. A former volleyball and basketball player at Wesley and Shenandoah University, she's a product of Wilmington's Padua Academy. Jessica Poe, a Dover High and West Chester University product, serves as Duffy's assistant.
"The way we play, you'd think we've been playing together for years," Eberly said. "It's amazing the way it came together."
Staff writer Dave Hughes can be reached at 741-8224 or davehug@newszap.com
Watch video of this game: Terry Campus Women's Volleyball Team vs Harcum College