Volleyball Digs for Success

As the fall sports are coming to an end, volleyball has had yet another season full of wins and several achievements with record breaking stops.

Ellory Deaton, Co-Editor in Chief • October 17, 2025

The volleyball team huddled up right before the tip off. (Courtesy Victor O’neill)

Last night the volleyball team continued their winning ways staying undefeated in district play with a thrilling five set victory at Heritage. This improved their overall record to 8-3, not including tournament play, with their next match Tuesday home against Tuscarora.

There were questions about the season after last year’s success included key players, most notably District and Region Player of the Year, Kaitlyn Demitz.

Captain Megan Hiltner tipped the ball over the net to score.

Last night was an anticipated rematch from September 11 with the same result, a 3-2 Titan victory. Prior to the match, captain and outside hitter Megan Hiltner said, “This is our most important game this season because whoever wins this matchup will win the Dulles District and will proceed into regionals with a higher seed and greater chance in advancing to states.”

This year the volleyball team has started to train more by lifting weights to get stronger, and they now have a personal trainer Nathaniel Soellner who also teaches here as a special education teacher. Captain and setter Ingrid Smith said, “The biggest difference from last year was the increase in time we spend in the weight room and at practice which has helped us improve a lot since the beginning of the season.”

This season has been more of a difficult and competitive year for the team as they have faced many teams out of our region, such as James Woods, Riverside, Madison and John Handley and all of the schools have won the state championship. Coach Phuong Tat said, “We used the tournament [Champions Classic] as a measuring bar to see where we stood among those state contending teams. We competed extremely well in that tournament, which resulted in some exciting matches for us during the regular season.”

Amaya Bowles spiked the ball down to win another set.

Captain Ingrid Smith served the ball during a set.

The upperclassmen this year have had to step up and take on a bigger role after many girls from last season graduated. Some school records have not been recognized yet, but there were a few broken records already tracked down this season.

Tat said, “There’s a handful of people who have made huge impacts collectively. Megan Hiltner and Amaya Bowles are both respectably on track to break the school record for most kills in a Season (262). Megan currently has 285 kills. Amaya currently has 242 kills. Ingrid Smith is on track to breaking total assists in a season, Ingrid previously broke the assist in a season in 2024 (605). If our season gets extended to a state appearance Ingrid has a shot at breaking the record again.”

About the Contributor

Ellory Deaton, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Ellory Deaton is a Co-Editor in Chief, and is a senior serving her second year as a staff reporter for DHS Press. She took broadcast journalism her sophomore year and contributed to the newspaper as a staff reporter last year. She enjoys interviewing athletes and coaches for their perspectives on and off the field. Ellory participates in field hockey and lacrosse; she is interested in working within the athletic community at a four year college. Outside of sports, Ellory is involved in Walking for Water, Morgan’s Message, Safe Haven, NHS and LHS members. If Ellory is not at Dominion or on the field you can catch her at any local shopping center, going out to eat with family or friends, and keeping her tan fresh on a nice day.