This season the Whitehall girls volleyball team made significant strides, and they’ll be looking to build on that success in the coming years.

They finished the season at 11-9 and qualified for the District XI Championships, defeating Pottsville on Oct. 29 in three sets before they were ousted by Liberty later that evening in four sets.

First year head coach George Cowitch saw a lot of improvement as the season progressed. At one point they reeled off six straight victories, serving notice that they were a team on the rise.

“I’m really proud of those girls and what they did,” said Cowitch.

He said they were able to adapt to a new coach right before the start of the season, showing their ability to overcome adversity.

A lot of that credit goes to a strong nucleus of seniors who helped forge that postseason run. That list includes Korin Koehler (the team’s libero), Cristal Fernandez, Emily Castro and Anna Gallina. They helped guide the team back to the playoffs with their strong play throughout the season.

“They really pushed this thing forward of where we need to go,” said Cowitch.

While that core will be hard to replace, the Zephs have a lot of experienced players who can form the pillars of the program next season. That list is led by Kristin Spengler who was a third team Eastern Pennsylvania Conference All-Star selection this season. Spengler led the team in kills and will return as a major force at the net. They also return Alix Buskirk, Taylor Rummel, Amelia Ballard, Meriam Deeb, Alyson Peters and Mikayala Hanna, giving them a solid foundation. They also have a strong JV squad that will help bolster the varsity next season.

Having a such an experienced group will make the learning curve that much easier, said Cowitch.

“We have a ton of girls that have a lot of sets in them,” said Cowitch.

He said this offseason will be very important as they grow the program. He believes they have the players who are willing to put in the time as they look to climb the rungs in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. Cowitch said that this offseason will be a big priority as they move the program forward. He believes the volleyball skills are in place, they just need to improve physically in some areas.

That will require a commitment to be great and he believes that they will put in the work to get to that level. Playing in a conference with nationally ranked Parkland High School is always a tall order, and they’ll need that commitment to challenge the best.

“The girls really seem committed to the program,” said Cowitch. “That’s what we’re looking for, that desire to be great.”