Coming off an impressive 21-6 season, the Morristown girls volleyball team is flying under the radar heading into the 2010 campaign. After losing five seniors from last year's team, nobody expects much out of the Colonials, but don't tell that to head coach Ron Davenport.
"We've had a pretty good run the last two years," said Davenport. "(Last year) we lost in the semifinals of Counties and the quarterfinals of States. In theory, we're supposed to be down this year. We have a lot of young kids; (we're) playing (only) three people that have played a lot. I think we have a good young core of girls that are going to surprise a lot of people."
The team has been having workouts for the past few weeks, and the first official practice takes place on Aug. 21. After about three weeks of practice, the Colonials kick off the 2010 campaign with a home game against Mendham. After that, the team plays a slew of games against rivals and non-rivals alike in a schedule chock full of contenders for the state title.
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"Playing Randolph (Sept. 16) is always a big rivalry game," said Davenport, "they have a good program and a good coach. They're going to be one of the favorites this year. West Morris (Oct. 1) is just a volleyball machine, they'll be good again this year. Mendham is always good. We're playing Bridgewater (Oct. 21), who was undefeated last year. Hunterdon Central (Oct. 25) is always among the top in the state. Madison (Sept. 28) will be a dominant team in the county, they're returning a lot of players and will be like we were last year."
If Davenport seems confident, he has every reason to be. His program has produced girls that have gone on to play volleyball at such NCAA powerhouses such as Delaware, Ithaca and Susquehanna.
