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Central High School’s junior varsity (JV) girls volleyball team had no substitutes for much of the 2019 season, but the Lady Chargers did not let this hold them back, finishing with an outstanding 15-4 overall record, including a 12-4 record in the James River District.

“Overall I was proud of the girls and how hard they worked this season,” Central Head Coach Kaitlyn Matthews said. “Especially having only six girls for roughly half of the season, they really had to work hard and mesh together as a team, and I thought they did that.”

The six girls that ended up comprising the team were freshman outside hitter Anna Inzeo, freshman setter Alyssa Inzeo, freshman outside hitter Erika Watson, freshman outside hitter Regan Harris, freshman outside hitter Andrea Hoover and sophomore outside hitter Caroline Bayne.

The degree of injury the team could sustain was remarkably small if the squad was to remain active.

“Six is the number required to be on the floor, so any fewer than that and we would have had to fold our team,” Matthews said.

Looking back on the season, the coach found it difficult to pinpoint individual leaders.

“With only having six players, it’s especially hard to pick out individuals or standouts,” she said. “Volleyball is such a team sport anyway — to have a truly successful team means that everyone needs to work together to help cover the floor. These individuals had to mesh and find ways to work together being that we had such small numbers this year.”

Considering each of her six players, Matthews said, “I’ve worked with these girls for a few years now, and they all bring the desire to win and work hard, but day to day they each bring something different to the team. And what one girl brings today, another may bring tomorrow, if that makes sense. My star server on Tuesday may not have served very well on Thursday, but she may have been my best passer that night.”

Reflecting on the team’s 19 matches, the coach pinpointed her team at its best.

“Beating both Bluestone and Buckingham at home were exciting wins,” she said. “They were both strong teams that were well-disciplined and had smart coaches backing their skills. We had to play good, smart volleyball those nights.”