Seneca girls’ volleyball reached a milestone on Oct. 2, defeating Sterling on the road, 2–0, for the 100th victory in program history.
However, the win meant more to the Golden Eagles than just being №100.
Prior to Oct. 2, Seneca had not beaten Sterling, a perennial contender in the Olympic Conference, in the past four seasons. The Golden Eagles were able to avenge a tough, 2–1 loss to the Silver Knights from September.
The win was also the team’s sixth in a row and improved its record to 8–3, putting the Golden Eagles in a position to potentially break the program’s record of 16 wins in a single season later in October.
Head Coach Bob Colombo said this year’s team has the talent and confidence to be the best team in Seneca girls’ volleyball history.
“Winning breeds winning,” Colombo said. “We’re a very confident team right now. We believe in ourselves and that has allowed ourselves to put a better product on the court.”
The 2015 season has not been without its bumps for the Golden Eagles. Seneca entered the preseason with nearly all of its key players returning from the 2014 season. Expectations were high for Seneca entering the Sept. 10 season-opener against Sterling.
However, the team had trouble winning matches in the season’s opening weeks. Seneca started the season 2–3, losing its first two matches to Sterling and GCIT. After wins against Woodrow Wilson and Camden, the team lost again, 2–0, to Camden Catholic.
Colombo said the team didn’t get too down on itself after starting 2–3, saying the three losses were against very good teams, and the losses against Sterling and GCIT were in three sets.
“The thing that sets them apart from other years is they believe they are good,” Colombo said.
After the Camden Catholic loss, the Golden Eagles ran off a winning streak, peaking with the Oct. 2 win against Sterling. Having won five straight games entering the rematch with the Silver Knights, Colombo said his team had more confidence than ever before.
“The girls were very focused on that game, probably more focused than I ever saw them,” he said. “We had played them earlier in the season and we lost in the third set. We knew we could hang with them and play with them on the court.”
A lot of the team’s returning starters have made an impact this year. Senior Jordan Wahrenberger is the team’s all-time assist leader and top server, while Caitlin Lange leads the team in kills.
However, one new player has been a big difference maker for the Golden Eagles.
Senior Angelica Loeravasquez joined the team this season after transferring to Seneca from Texas. Colombo first saw Loeravasquez play in a summer league and saw she had a lot of talent.
“We didn’t know much about her, but we immediately saw she was going to have a huge impact on this team,” Colombo said.
Loeravasquez has been excellent as a server, winning 60 service points in September for Seneca. She ranks second on the team in service points.
With the program’s 100th win behind it, Seneca’s focus is shifting to a new milestone, the team’s first playoff win. The Golden Eagles have only qualified for the playoffs twice and lost in the first round both times.
With the team’s fast start, Colombo believes his team has the potential to get a high seed and finally achieve some postseason success.
“We’re hoping to put ourselves in a better position where we’re a better seed and can play teams that we are able to win against,” he said.
