Annapolis Panthers
1993 record: 2-13. Coach: Karla McMahon.
Top players: Dayna Lewnes, Sr.; Bridgid Duffy, Jr.; Emily Dammeyer, Fr.; Lauren Gulotta, So.; Laura Paszkiewicz, So.; Sabrina Johnson, Sr.
Outlook: Lewnes and Duffy are the only players back from last season, and the roster includes two freshmen and three sophomores. Most likely, one freshman and two sophomores will start. Is there a younger team in the county? The good news is, McMahon has some decent height. Dammeyer is 6 feet, and freshman Kammi Cottrell (whose brother, Ted, was a star basketball player at Annapolis) is 6-1. And though the team lacks varsity experience, many of the newcomers played on the junior varsity, so the sport isn't foreign to them. "They're young, but they're promising," McMahon said. And what about Annapolis winding up in the playoffs this year under the new state format, where anyone who registers can participate? "It would be a neat experience for the girls," McMahon said. "I don't know how well
they'd fare, but it would be nice."
Arundel Wildcats
1993 record: 3-15. Coach: Lee Rogers.
Top players: Jen Mottar, Jr.; Shauna Gooding, Jr.; Jessica Palatka, Jr.; Gwen Dulla, Sr.; Pauline Ciszewski, Sr.; Yiru Zhou, Sr.
Outlook: Arundel was inexperienced last year, and Rogers said nothing has changed. Three starters are back: Mottar, Gooding and Palatka. Dulla, Ciszewski and Zhou also were on the varsity last season. The team is fairly deep at setter with Mottar, Gooding and sophomore newcomer Jana Boddy, but the Wildcats have numerous questions with their hitters. Rogers is anxious to see a couple newcomers who excel at other sports and are trying volleyball for the first time: juniors Kara Kitchen and Chavone Hammond. Both are good athletes who "hopefully will bring a winning attitude with them from basketball," Rogers said. Also joining the varsity are senior Sarah Johnson and juniors Erin Uyttewaal and Liz Atwater. The team needs to improve its passing, but the defense looks solid as usual. "We'll be competitive and make a good showing," Rogers said.
Archbishop Spalding Cavaliers
1993 record: 9-4. Coach: Linda Taylor.
Top players: Dana Siemek, Sr.; Cynthia Kopkowski, Sr.; Christine Listman, Sr.; Courtney Parker, Sr.; Crystal Henderson, Jr., Kathleen O'Hara, So., Crystal Ray, So.
Outlook: Spalding did the unexpected last year, winning a second straight Catholic League Tournament championship despite having a large turnover in personnel. This time, the Cavaliers have fewer players to replace, but one missing person is Carrie Parsons, the league's Player of the Year. Siemek, Kopkowski, Listman, Parker (6-3) and Henderson started last year. O'Hara, a sophomore setter, should join them. Ray also has made a strong push to start. Taylor considers Henderson, who will set in the back row and hit in the front, "a player to watch" and calls her "overpowering." Other players back from last season include seniors Christina Zayas and Erika Shepard and junior Jen Broch. Sophomore Sandy Sandifer is new to the varsity. The passing is sound, but "we've got to work on our hitting," Taylor said.
Broadneck Bruins
1993 record: 13-2. Coach: Tom Cole.
Top players: Katie Forthofer, Sr., Theresa Koester, Sr., Taci Williams, Sr., Amanda Barchanowicz, Sr., Lisa Goodhue, Jr., Kara Johnson, Jr.
Outlook: Forthofer is one of the top returning players in the county. Last year, when she was chosen first-team All-County, Forthofer (5-11) registered a team-leading 163 kills, playing both middle and outside hitter. She also had 39 aces. Broadneck's biggest problems are trying to find a new setter and being in the same region as Centennial and Mount Hebron. Barchanowicz and newcomer Johnson, up from the JV, are vying for the starting job at setter. In all, four starters return, including senior hitters Koester (5-11) and Williams. Six-foot junior Goodhue, a reserve last year, will start at middle hitter. Junior Erin Pinnix also returns. Assuming Cole, who replaces Glenn Brainer as coach, can find a dependable setter, the Bruins again will challenge for a berth in the state tournament.
Chesapeake Cougars
1993 record: 7-7. Coach: Donna Zemke.
Top players: Becky Adamarczyk, Sr., Jamie Parsons, Sr., Laura Henne, Sr., Suzanne Stumpp, Sr., Jen Jovan, Sr., Dawn Faber, Sr.
Outlook: Many coaches in the county are billing Chesapeake as one of the teams to beat and say the Cougars would make the playoffs this year even under the old format. Five starters are back: Adamarczyk, Parsons, Henne, Stumpp and Jovan. Three other players -- senior hitters Faber, Jen Miller and Karen King, also return. Faber will replace Kim Woody, the only starter who graduated. Zemke is expecting junior Michelle Horn, up from the to make a strong contribution as a middle hitter. This team is loaded with powerful hitters, including Parsons, a second-team All-County selection last year. As long as setters Henne and Jovan do their part and the Cougars maintain their intensity, they will be tough to beat. They started slow last season and barely missed the playoffs. "My gut tells me we'll do well," Zemke said, "but I don't want to jinx it."
Glen Burnie Gophers
1993 record: 11-6. Coach: Juanita Milani.
Top players: Heather Hutson, Sr.; Amy Hutson, So.; Meghan Matukonis, Sr.; Denise Warren, Sr.; Stacey Ellenberger, Jr., Jen Stapler, Sr., Amanda Farlow, Jr.
Outlook: Glen Burnie is one of the few teams in the county that didn't lose its best player to graduation. Even better, the Gophers return both of their big guns, sisters Heather and Amy Hutson, who each can switch from setter to hitter, though Milani intends to make Amy strictly a hitter this fall. Heather, a first-team All-County pick, had 177 kills and 65 aces last year despite being sidelined for a while with an injury. In all, five starters return, including Matukonis, Warren and Ellenberger. Stapler and Farlow will see lots of playing time. Six-foot senior Tammie Carson is out indefinitely with injuries suffered in a car accident. Senior Heather Zeman also was on the varsity last year. Senior Niki Falcon and juniors Tanya Hess and Christina Baldwin -- a transfer from Lansdowne -- are new. The Gophers
are legitimate threats to unseat Severna Park.
Meade Mustangs
1993 record: 3-11. Coach: Vickie Hedgebeth.
Top players: Tammy Bruhn, Jr.; Jennifer Pittman, Jr.; Loida Lachapel, Sr.
Outlook: Just three players return, so Hedgebeth is working mostly with a new crew. She will depend on a host of players up from the JV, which lost just one match last year. "I look forward to improving our record and playing much better ball," she said. Even so, Hedgebeth acknowledges that "this is a learning year for us," since Meade has only two seniors. The Mustangs' record last year is deceiving. They played some teams tough. Hedgebeth is expecting a similar effort, if not better results. "Last year, we seemed to compete well with the other teams, but we didn't have that extra push to win," she said. "They didn't know how to win. They'd fall behind and say, 'Here we go again.'"
North County Knights
1993 record: 4-9. Coach: Amy Williams.
Top players: Jessica Gibson, Jr.; Rhonda Hegazi, Sr.; Anne Ketterle, Sr.; Amy Ray, Sr.; Jackie Weckesser, Sr.
Outlook: Williams said she is "real excited" about this team, and there are five good reasons -- hitters Hegazi, Ray and Weckesser, setter Ketterle and hitter/setter Gibson. Those five started last year. Seniors Jennifer Taylor and Shelley Gaither also return, and junior newcomer Kim Hoyle will make an impact as an additional hitter. Williams lost two players from last season, though one of them, hitter Leanne Jones, made second-team All-County. "We're ahead of where we've been," Williams said. "I look to have more than an average season, a winning season." Though the hitting needs improvement -- the Knights are far from overpowering -- Williams said, "we're a better hitting team than we've been." Serving and defense should be strengths. And there's more experience here than in past years. This could be North County's best season.
Northeast Eagles
1993 record: 7-6. Coach: Otis Long.
Top players: Liz Boone, Sr., Crissy Ciurca, Sr., Tasha Dunn, Sr., Jamie Johnson, Sr., Christine Siemek, Sr., Kelly Siemek, Sr., Andrea Williams, Jr.
Outlook: Northeast doesn't have much size, but it's a veteran team with an enthusiastic new coach. Eight players return, including a couple who can handle the setting duties -- Johnson and the Siemek twins. Two freshmen, Stacie Siemek (the cousin of Christine and Kelly) and Rachel Ciurca (Crissy's sister) also are setters. Boone, Crissy Ciurca, Dunn and Williams are among the outside hitters vying for a starting berth. Long has a few JV players who could move up to the varsity if needed, though he'd rather have them playing than sitting. It's hard to imagine Northeast going as far as it did last year without All-County hitter Casey Czako, but there should be better balance. And like everyone else, the Eagles are assured a spot in the playoffs.
Old Mill Patriots
1993 record: 6-8. Coach: Jan Arnold.
Top players: Dana Dawson, Sr.; Jamie Mikeska, Sr.; Mary Chicorelli, Sr.; Nicole Kelly, Sr.; Cathy Porter, Jr.; Holly Shaffer, Jr.
Outlook: Last year was rebuilding time for Old Mill after a couple of winning seasons. Arnold, who replaces Patti DeMarco as coach, has her job made easier with the return of eight players, including powerful hitters Dawson (6-1), Porter (5-8) and Shaffer (6-0). Chicorelli will do much of the setting, Mikeska is a promising hitter, and seniors Marisa Greshko and Julie Drapalski are defensive specialists. Newcomers to the varsity include juniors Asti Spinelli, Sabrina Sims, Lisa Pitocco and Jessica Miles. Arnold is trying to improve her team's movement and quicken its reflexes. "They seem to be working hard," she said. There's a good chance Old Mill will better last year's record.
Severna Park Falcons
1993 record: 16-0. Coach: Tim Dunbar.
Top players: Julie Allen, Jr., Melissa Snyder, Sr., Nicole Merrill, Sr., Cara Voegtlin, Sr., Lauren Butler, Jr., Sherri Patton, Sr.
Outlook: Dunbar will have to replace all six starters, including three first-team All-Metro selections. Only one returning player, Allen, saw significant time last season, but she is being moved from the middle to outside, a difficult adjustment. The new setter will be either Snyder or sophomore newcomer Danielle Kaegel. Snyder may be used as a specialist while her broken wrist heals. Sophomore newcomer Jodi Blair (5-10) probably will start at middle hitter. Butler and Patton are outside hitters. Merrill (5-10) is a middle hitter and Voegtlin is a defensive specialist. Sophomores Dana Kaegel (Danielle's twin sister) and Rachael Benton are outside hitters who are new to the varsity. It will take time for the Falcons to jell, and they might not even be the second-best team in the county right now, but by the time the playoffs roll around, that could change. No one counts out Severna Park.
Southern Bulldogs
1993 record: 3-11. Coach: Vita VanLear.
Top players: Carrie Reid, Sr.; Dawn Ward, Sr.; Wendy Staples, Sr.; Janet Galla, Sr., Jamie Palermo, Sr.
Outlook: VanLear replaces Michael Schwob, who had taken over for her last season. What she finds upon her return is a senior-only team that includes underrated setter Reid and a group of fast-improving players who have their coach talking about a .500 record or better. Galla has "broadened her hitting repertoire," VanLear said, and setter/hitters Ward and Staples give the Bulldogs more versatility. Catherine Bach plays the middle and will be another key to whatever success Southern achieves. "They all look ready to rock and roll," VanLear said. "I'm pretty optimistic." Also on the varsity are Krista Borden and Genevieve Shandley. Assistant coach Lynn Svonazec works with the defense, while VanLear is more offense oriented. Together, they have Southern looking better than it has in many years.
South River Seahawks
1993 record: 14-4. Coach: Maureen Carter.
Top players: Jen Smith, Sr.; Kim Thomas, Jr.; Maura Smith, Jr.; Mary Beth Duvall, Jr., Robin Catterton, So.
Outlook: Carter, an assistant last year who replaces Melissa Diehlmann, can't expect one player to make up for the loss of dominant hitter Pam Patterson. Instead, she hopes Thomas (5-11) and Duvall can help fill the void. This is their time to shine after playing second-fiddle to Patterson. They will have a new setter in Catterton, a transfer from Northern-Calvert. Maura Smith offers good defense in the back row. Jen Smith, a middle hitter, isn't very powerful, "but she's real scrappy," Carter said. Two players are up from the JV: middle hitter Beth Salley and defensive specialist Barbara Smith. The Seahawks may lead the metro area in players named Smith, but they have one of the smallest rosters with just seven players. "We still can be a contender and have a winning season," Carter said. "I know we have talent. We'll give a lot of teams a run for their money."