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| West players huddle around coach Sara Crater following their win over Reynolds. |
“No catfights.”
Like many of her teammates, Welker is a standout player who possesses an array of volleyball skills. But, as she carefully explained after West’s 12th win in a row, chemistry has played a primary role in her team’s 13-1 overall record.
“All of us are really good friends on and off the court,” she noted. “Our team unity is great. We have fun when we play and are always supportive of each other.”
But, in truth, a great mix of personalities is only part of West’s winning equation. Talent, desire, an immeasurable amount of sweat equity and the excellent coaching of Sara Crater have also factored into the team’s phenomenal success.
Excitable and dedicated, Crater has brought an infectious enthusiasm that has almost single-handedly rebuilt the Titan program.
Once a perennial powerhouse that reached the final four of the 4-A playoffs four straight years beginning in 1988, West had fallen on hard times before Crater arrived five years ago. Since then she has taken a 2-20 start in year one and created a positive momentum that could carry the Titans deep into the state playoffs this fall.
“She’s awesome to play for,” noted Maggie Seeds, the team’s sensational 6-0 middle hitter. “Her excitement gets us excited.”
While admitting that her nervous energy sometimes gets the best of her, Crater deflects any personal praise and credits her players with the turnaround.
“These girls have participated in camps, played in the J.O. (Junior Olympic) program and are committed to winning,” she said. “And they are a true joy to coach. They never miss practice and I’ve never had a discipline problem with any of them.”
Along with a shared quest for excellence, another source of West’s resurgence has been the momentum created by last year’s furious finish. Representing the CPC as a number three seed, the Titans scored upset victories in rounds one and two before falling to eventual state-champion Charlotte Providence.
“No question, our playoff success (in 2005) is helping us now,” Crater noted. “We learned that we have the talent to compete at that level.”
Although the West roster is made up almost entirely of underclassmen, lone senior Brittany McKinney has returned to provide a strong source of leadership. Joining her in the starting lineup have been Seeds, Welker, outside hitters Lindsay Wood and Alyson Lunsford, and defensive specialist Hannah Varnell.
Using an attack-oriented offense, West has been a dominant force thus far.
Aside from a 3-2 loss to Mount Tabor in a city-county tournament at the start of the season, the Titans have blanked opposing teams 3-0 in 11 of their 13 wins.
But that level of dominance will be tested this Thursday at 6 p.m. when they host Mount Tabor in the CPC match of the year. The Titans thumped Tabor 3-1 in a rematch two weeks ago and can virtually lock up the CPC crown with another win against the Spartans.
“It’s going to be intense,” admitted Seeds. “We’re asking everyone we know to come out and give us their support.”
Regardless of the outcome, the Titans and Crater have bright days ahead. There will most certainly be a return to the state playoffs this fall and — with all but one of their players back next year —they should remain among the state’s elite in 2007.
And that’s not all. Sandwiched between those two seasons will be an event that could take Crater’s excitability to a whole new level — the birth of her son in January.
“Let’s deal with this (the ongoing season) first,” she added with a laugh. “Then we’ll see.”