When the 2014 high school volleyball season began, George Washington coach Missy Smith wasn't really sure what to expect given the team roster's turnover from the previous season.
As it turned out, the Patriots' season was very successful as they advanced the state semifinals before falling to eventual Class AAA runner-up Martinsburg.
This season, GW entered with slightly higher expectations and has responded by cruising to an 11-0 record, including a quad match sweep of Capital, Hurricane and Huntington in the Patriots' home opener Thursday evening. The Patriots have won 22 of the 23 sets they've played this season.
Smith, who is in her 11th season as varsity coach, likes her team's smooth transition from last season's disappointing ending to this season's hot start.
"It's still early, but we only lost four off of last year's team," said Smith, who guided the Patriots to state titles in 2005, 2006 and 2012. "The returning girls have come in and taken up where we left off. They're playing faster and playing a lot of in-system balls and things that we like to do. We didn't have to spend a lot of time preaching about that this year because they were ready to go.
"They just came in focused. We started when we got back from Christmas break. We were in the weight room three days a week and then in June practice we won all the matches and tournaments we played in. They've just been focused since day one."
The Patriots' three senior tri-captains, Lillie Jacobs, Hannah Jones and Delaney Ellis, experienced a state title as freshmen and would love to end their prep careers in the same fashion.
"Seeing it happen during our freshman year made us want it so much more," said Jones. "Just seeing the seniors on that team and how happy they were. For us to go from seeing a freshman-year title to us doing it as seniors would mean the world to us, but we still have to work hard."
Smith is especially pleased with her seniors, who essentially serve as three extra assistant coaches in the program.
"They're very good leaders for us," said Smith of the seniors. "Leadership starts at the top, and anytime that we've been successful we've had good leadership and this team has good leadership.
"They handle things so I don't have to. They remind the girls to make sure they have their stuff and just little things that drive a coach crazy. They handle things that I don't have to and that allows us to focus more on volleyball when we're in here every day. If they see somebody slacking off, they pick them up and they lead by example. It kind of warms your heart as a coach to see that leadership."
For Ellis, the key to the Patriots' quick start is the close-knit bond shared throughout the team's roster, from freshmen all the way to the top.
"We are playing really well together and the winning is going really well, but I think that this is the closest as a team that we've ever been," she said. "When we say that we are all sisters and that we're a family, we really mean it. I've never had a team as close as we are. I don't really notice the age difference between the freshmen and seniors. We're all just really good together."
That bond extends throughout the lineup, and the selfless approach the team has shown has also made the Patriots a tougher out.
"The thing that I like the best about us is that we don't have one star," said Smith. "There are nine on varsity and we have nine stars. There are 21 on the team and we have 21 stars."