Tony Funsten came into the season hoping for a little bit of magic.
So far, so good for the veteran coach and his Upper Merion volleyball team.
The Vikings are 12-0-2 and ranked seventh in the latest Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association poll, but Funsten and his players are far more concerned about how the Vikings finish their season than how they started it.
This year’s talented squad has its sights set on a district and perhaps even a state title.
Funsten believes he has the talent that could take his outstanding program to new heights.
“I wouldn’t say it’s the most talented (team), but I would say it’s the most skilled,” he said. “They’re very, very skilled. We have multiple skilled players, and that doesn’t always win matches, but believe me, in the long run, it usually does.”
Anchoring this team – which is a special blend of the old and the new – is a group of six seniors. Kim Landmesser, Katie DeLone, Lisa Ridgeway, Kelly Clawson, Erin Brobson and Sara Dugan represent the nucleus of this year’s squad.
“They set the tone,” Funsten said. “Year in and year out, I just witness when they become seniors – all of a sudden there’s that one step more maturity and growing up. This is the end, and they want everything to come out the way they want it to come out, and they act accordingly.”
All of the seniors have been asked to step up and assume new roles.
“It does obviously feel different being the oldest and being the ones in charge,” Ridgeway said. “It’s a lot different from the other years because we always had the older people to look up to.
“Now we’re the ones everyone is looking up to and asking questions and looking to us for leadership.”
This team has skill, but it takes more than skill to win the big matches.
“We communicate very well together, and we have a lot of spirit,” Landmesser said, noting the seniors have a history together. “Some of us have known each other since elementary school.
“We’re really good friends. We all get along really, really well.”
“A lot of times personalities clash, but this year we just click really well,” DeLone said. “We just really jelled this year.
“There’s no fighting, no cliques. We just all work together, and that’s really important. We’ve always had talent on our teams, but we’ve never really been one big group like we are this year.”
Landmesser is a setter on a team with all sorts of options.
“Oh my gosh, they’re amazing,” she said of her teammates. “I know if I give them even a little bit of a bad set, they’ll still make a great hit out of it. It’s amazing.
“We have great offense and great defense. We communicate very well together, and we have a lot of spirit.”
Adding to that spirit is a student fan base that turns out in force to support their team. If the players are feeling the pressure that often goes along with lofty expectations and life in the spotlight, they aren’t letting it show.
“You’re never going to get this chance again,” DeLone said. “Especially if you’re not going to play in college – this could be your last game any time in the playoffs, so you definitely want to make the most of it and make it to states.”
Standing in the way of a trip to states for the Vikings is a Merion Mercy squad that has made a habit of winning district and state titles. The Vikings are tired of finishing second and hope this is the year to beat the state’s top-ranked squad.
“The character of the girls usually dictates how the season goes,” Funsten said. “I haven’t given it a second thought – they’re that solid, and it helps to have talent.”
And talent is something this year’s squad has plenty of.
“There’s no weak link in any of our players,” Ridgeway said. “Each spot has something special and has a lot to give. I think this year we could go far and show everyone we are a special team.”
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