The Eagles finished 21-7 last season and defeated Virginia Academy in the VISAA Division II semifinals after losing to the Patriots in the same round. In the state finals, Covenant lost to Nansemond-Suffolk in four sets.

With the Eagles returning with the same starting lineup as in 2023, they have their sights set on the next step.

“Nobody is going to accept losing in the state championship this year,” said Covenant head coach Bethany Davis. “This is our year to make it happen.”

The squad is very similar to that of last season, so the team did not need a significant transition phase.

“To have established this rhythm last year and to continue it is great,” Davis said.

In order to continue playing volleyball at a high level, the Eagles are also preparing for a variety of challenging opponents in 2024.

“We deliberately chose a super tough year so that we would be prepared for the playoffs and the fight,” Davis said.

This season, they will have regular season games against Virginia Academy and Nansemond-Suffolk, who they faced in the state tournament last fall.

“Our goal is to have no surprises. We want to play whoever we can and we want to compete at a high level, so it’s not like we’re playing anything different in the postseason,” Davis said. “I think that will help us tremendously in the long run.”

Because Covenant has many returning players in its lineup, the Eagles approached practices more efficiently than usual.

“We started preseason and it was like fire on the field,” Davis said. “The girls came with a mission and we know we’re working toward the state championship again this year and we’re all kind of aligned on that common goal. So it was just a whole different energy than we’ve ever had.”

Covenant’s starters include all-state players Cara Hamil and Maya Veselinovic. Hamil led the Eagles with 3.9 kills and 3.6 digs per set, while Veselinovic had the most aces on the team with 795 assists and 72 aces.

Miller Grimes was selected to the All-State second team this year and will play an important role on both offense and defense as Covenant’s 6-foot-4 middle blocker.

“She’s hit the turning point for us and looks fantastic,” Davis said. “She’s so aggressive and has such a strong presence in the middle.”

Kella Lemcke will play her freshman season after leading the team in digs (281) and having the second-most kills (229) and aces (65) as an eighth-grader.

“Kella was a player in our six-man rotation last year as an eighth-grader and an important part of our serve-receiver rotation and shows a lot of different options in the front line,” Davis said.

The Eagles will also bring back Delaney and Kerrigan Poindexter. Kerrigan had the most blocks for Covenant (36) and executed the third-most kills (194), and Delaney provided the most receptions (501) and the second-most digs (261).

The experienced team is aware of its capabilities and wants to make full use of them in 2024.

“Now we know what we are capable of, we know our goal and we know we can do it,” Davis said.

The Patriots finished 13-1 in the Jefferson District and did not graduate a single senior last year. The group has begun training without letting up in intensity.

“We’re bringing back an experienced team that has a very high, what I like to call, volleyball IQ, and they’re ready to hit the ground running when you start practice,” said Albemarle head coach Lance Rogers. “Everyone already knows each other, they know their abilities.”

Highlighting the long list of returning starters is Amelia Lynch, who was named Class 4/5 Jefferson District Player of the Year and first-team All-Region as a setter, dishing out 602 assists and collecting 216 digs in 2023.

Morgan Ascoli, last season’s team leader in kills (211) and blocks (50), will look to continue to be a strong presence as the Patriots’ middle blocker.

Albemarle’s lineup will also include outside attacker Laci Mann, who made an important contribution to the offense and defense with 145 kills and 218 digs.

Mann will form the defensive line along with libero Grace Sembrowich, who already set the school’s career record with 933.

To complement Ascoli and Mann’s skills at the net, Tumpe Mwenechanya, Presley Stroud and Trinity Brown will also bolster Albemarle’s attack.

Given the Patriots’ experience and talent, they are setting their own expectations high.

“We’re all holding ourselves to a higher standard this year,” Rogers said. “Now it’s a team that’s primarily seniors, and they’re experienced, they know how to handle a competition – they’ve been through this before and they know what it takes to win.”

Fluvanna County posted a district record of 10-4 in 2023 and brings All-District outside hitter Molly McCall back to the first team.

“Molly McCall is well on her way to becoming a true Division I prospect,” Rogers said. “She’s a six-rotation player who has all the qualities you’d expect from a dominant outside hitter.”

Western Albemarle tied the Patriots with a district record of 13-1 last fall. Although the Warriors have lost many key players, they still have some good starters left.

“Junior setter Ava Hardy and junior pinhitter Mary Kumer are definitely key players for the Warriors,” Rogers said.

Louisa County improved its district record from 5-9 in 2022 to 7-7 last year and regains much of its core team.

“They’re an up-and-coming team,” Rogers said. “They’ve improved significantly over the last year and I expect them to continue to improve.”

The Lions weren’t the only young group to make an impression in 2023.

“Charlottesville also had an above-average year last year and I think they return with a lot of the strength of their lineup,” Rogers said.

On the private school scene, St. Anne’s-Belfield still looks to be a threat. The Saints are coming off a 13-9 season that earned them a berth in the VISAA Division I state tournament, and they return one of Central Virginia’s best volleyball players.

Caroline Lang, who has committed to the University of Virginia, led St. Anne’s-Belfield in 2023 with 236 kills, 79 blocks and 39 aces.