Patrick Henry volleyball team rolls along under new head coach Kristin Wemes
Patriots off to 17-4 start and are led by Sophie Westendorf and Emilee Stanley
Estill – Kristin Wemes is in her first season as the volleyball head coach at Patrick Henry Academy. Most of the Lady Patriots roster is not new, and that’s a good thing, a very good thing.
Wemes inherited six starters returning from a squad that went 23-9 and played for the SCISA AAA state title. Patrick Henry hasn’t dropped the ball at all this season, winning 17 of its first 21 matches and starting 4-0 in Region 4.
Even with all of the experience, Patrick Henry is still developing,
“The team's progression has evolved greatly from the start of the season,” Wemes said. “They have done a great job of adjusting to opponents when necessary and continuously supporting each other in the process.”
Senior outside hitter Sophie Westendorf is having a tremendous season. She leads the Patriots in kills with 173 to go with 34 service aces, 98 digs and just 17 receiving errors in 183 serves received.
Senior Emilee Stanley is back as the setter and has 403 assists to go with 83 digs, five blocks, 33 aces and 25 kills.
Sophomore Kinley Cook is the other outside hitter, and she too is performing well. She has a team high 121 digs and leads in serves received with 194 and has just 20 errors. She has 126 kills, 45 aces, eight blocked shots and 21 assists.
Sophomores Sara Guty and Maura Mathis return as middle blockers. Mathis has 73 kills and 11 blocks, Guty has a team high 59 aces and 21 blocks to go with 54 kills and 52 digs.
Junior Mills Lucas is a returning rightside hitter. She has 25 kills, four kills and 18 digs. The newcomer to the starting lineup is sophomore Kaiden Olmos at libero. She has 18 aces, 41 digs, 10 assists and 163 serves received.
Junior defensive specialist Kaitlyn Carrillo is a member of the rotation. She has 38 digs and 14 aces.
The roster is rounded out by junior rightside hitter Adaleigh Long and senior rightside hitter Julianne Miley.
Wemes believes as long as PHA maintains the proper effort, it will have a successful season.
“As a team, we strive to set realistic expectations,” she said. “While every team goes through ups and downs during their season, expectations can waver. The main thing we expect and can count on is the effort we give.”
