Dialog reporter
WILMINGTON — St. Mark’s is coming off a season in which there were no real surprises as far as wins and losses were concerned. It added up to an 8-7 record. The Spartans, however, had a little extra pep in their steps in the postseason, upsetting Smyrna in the second round before Padua got to them in the quarterfinals.
Two senior hitters have graduated from that squad, but that pair had a large supporting cast that is back in 2016. Senior Genevieve Hughes and juniors Grace Frati and Erin Derick will be wreaking havoc up front, and they are welcoming back junior Gillian Lytle, who tore ligaments in her knee in the first match of 2015. Lytle said she is “ecstatic” to be back.
“Being out for so long, you lose some confidence, but being back with the team again, you regain it. They help you through a lot, getting stronger. I have a really good support system,” Lytle said.
Defensively, St. Mark’s can rely on senior specialists Sara Desmond and Anna Sonchen, while Grace Sawyer holds down the libero position. Desmond said a team-first attitude will help the green and gold this year.
“If one person is down, all of us help each other,” she said. “Like when Gill was hurt last year, we helped her, we motivated her. She still helped us. If one person is struggling, we all stick together.”
The Spartans have been granted no favors by the scheduling genies. Wilmington Friends visits for the home opener in the season’s second match, followed by consecutive road tilts at Smyrna, Padua, St. Elizabeth and Archmere. Other nonconference foes include Delaware Military and Wilmington Charter.
Desmond said remembering how they played these opponents last season will help.
“We pretty much go off last year, knowing what we did and didn’t do. Trying to correct those errors that we did before. And even in the game while we’re playing, we’ll point out some things and change some things so that we can work through it,” she said.
Schedule
09/09/16 Friday @ St. Georges Tech 6:15 pm
09/14/16 Wednesday FRIENDS 5pm
09/16/16 Friday @ Smyrna 5 pm
09/20/16 Tuesday @ Padua 7:15 pm
09/22/16 Thursday @ St. Elizabeth 7:15 pm
09/27/16 Tuesday @ Archmere 7:15 pm
09/29/16 Thursday URSULINE 7:15 pm
10/04/16 Tuesday WILMINGTON CHRISTIAN 7:15 pm
10/06/16 Thursday ST. ELIZABETH 7:15 pm
10/11/16 Tuesday DELAWARE MILITARY ACADEMY 7:15 pm
10/14/16 Friday @ Wilmington Charter 7:30 pm
10/18/16 Tuesday RED LION 7:15 pm
10/25/16 Tuesday PADUA 7:15 PM
10/27/16 Thursday @ Delmar 5:30 pm
10/29/16 Saturday @ Ursuline 6:45 pm
