Tuesday night may have been Amber Wiswell's first volleyball game in a River Hill uniform, but it sure as heck wasn't her first volleyball game.
The 6-foot-2 senior, who played for Newbury Park High — about one hour west of Los Angeles — last year, recorded eight kills and five blocks in a three-game sweep of visiting Mt. Hebron (25-15, 25-14, 25-12).
"She hits well, she's adapted to all of the girls. She's just a good kid and it's been fun having her," coach Lynn Paynter said. "She's very comfortable with the game and that's what's fun to see. So we can roll with her this year as a group."
On Tuesday, senior setter Caitlin Davis had 26 assists. Her twin sister, Kelly, had seven kills and three aces. Marta Roman (6) and Kristin Lee (4 kills, 4 aces) combined for another ten. Caitlin and Kelly's younger sister Cassidy, a junior, had three kills and a pair of blocks.
Caitlin Davis, Cassidy Davis and Roman were all part-time starters last year. Lee and Kelly Davis have been on varsity since they were freshmen, but are getting their first significant playing time this year as seniors.
"They've got an opportunity to get out there playing all the way around and they're doing a great job," Paynter said. "They've showed me that they can play defense as well as offense, and that's exciting."
Wiswell moved to Maryland late this summer when her mother, who works in the health care field, accepted a new position with the U.S. Department of Labor.
At Newbury Park last year, she recorded a team-best 182 kills and 59 blocks in 82 games. The Panthers finished 5-9 in league play, and Wiswell earned second-team honors.
"We were in a really hard league. We were in one of the best leagues in the state so we were kind of the bottom of the best," she said.
This summer Wiswell traveled to Europe with her Southern California Volleyball Association High Performance club team, so she is eager to make all of her training count during her last year of high school volleyball.
"It looks like it's going to be a really great season," she said. "We want to win states, that's our goal."
Since arriving at River Hill in early September, Wiswell isn't yet too familiar with the lay of the land in Howard County volleball, but she has picked up a few things.
"I heard about Sarah Okey (the 2011 River Hill grad who recorded 200 kills as a senior and now plays for Cornell)," she said. And "I know Centennial is good."
Centennial defeated River Hill in an epic five-game match for the 3A East regional championship last November. The two teams are scheduled to play at River Hill on Oct. 18.
Other scores from Tuesday night:
Glenelg def. Long Reach, 25-8, 25-18, 25-9.
Marriotts Ridge def. Oakland Mills, 25-9, 25-15, 25-16.
Reservoir def. Howard, 25-17, 25-22, 19-25, 25-22.