The girls volleyball team is spiking up the rankings this season with the help of new coach Erica Chao. 

Chao is replacing last year’s coach Hao-Lan Chai, who moved to Germany before the start of the season. Her coaching prowess has aided the team in making the playoffs this season, despite it being her first coaching job.

Chao was looking for a coaching position in the area when she discovered the opening at Whitman and decided to take the opportunity—she has about 11 years of volleyball experience.

From ages 12 to 18, Chao played on the Montgomery Village Sports Association’s volleyball club team, while also playing on Churchill’s girls and coed teams during high school. Although she didn’t play competitively in college, Chao kept up her training and still participates in local tournaments. 

At the start of the season, Chao wanted to see where the team was skill-wise—she promoted only one junior from last year’s JV team while bringing on five underclassman.

With such a changed lineup, Chao’s main focus this season is to improve communication. To be a successful team, she said, the girls need to properly communicate their intentions with each other during a set.

“The idea of communication is very simple yet multi-tiered,” Chao said. “If communication is mastered, not just amongst the girls, but between players and coach as well, everything else can be worked on most efficiently.”

In contrast with last year, team members said Chao’s training has been more rigorous. Although a few of Chao’s drills are similar to Chai’s, the intensity with which she runs them is much greater. Members of the team feel that this method has paid off, as it has led to an overall increase in the team’s athleticism and endurance.

“I think she’s really tough and expects a lot from us, so drills can get pretty hard sometimes,” said outside hitter Claire Nagelhout.

Despite the physical demands of her coaching, the girls feel they can relate to her because she plays, while still respecting her as a disciplinary figure.

“She’s like a friend and a coach,” said outside hitter Natalie Chen, “She does a good job of balancing that out.”

This new coaching style has helped the team become more cohesive, as teammates have built strong relationships both on and off the court. These bonds have allowed for a successful season (6–4) so far, though the girls still acknowledge that there is always room for improvement.

“I think we definitely have improved from last year,” Nagelhout said. “But saying that, we also have a really long way to go—we still have a lot of work to do if we want to beat really good teams like Sherwood and Wootton.”