The 1996 edition of the Mary Washington College volleyball team opened the season with one of its youngest rosters ever. Facing a very difficult schedule, including games in the always-tough Capital Athletic Conference, tenth-year head coach Dee Conway knew that some of her younger players would need to rise to the occasion of playing at the college level.
Among those that heeded the call from Conway was hitter Lisa Skaggs (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills). Skaggs ranked near the team lead in nearly every offensive category, including kills (344), blocks (123), and attack percentage (.295). Those lofty numbers earned her a place on the CAC's all-league first team, and a spot on the all-state's second team. Joining Skaggs on the all-state and CAC's second team was setter Hilary Clark (Woodbridge, VA). Clark, a two-time selection on the all-state and CAC squads, finished second in the CAC in assists, and led MWC with 82 service aces.
Hitter Katie Forthofer (Arnold, MD) also provided steady play for the Eagles in '96, contributing 274 kills and a .273 attack percentage. Other key contributors for the Eagles in 1996 were defensive specialists Deanna Heckman (Richmond, VA) and Jenny Phillips (Poquoson, VA), who managed 40 service aces and 394 digs between them.
After beginning the year with a 1-2 start, the young Eagles took flight, winning their next eight games. Included in that number was the three W's the team earned en route to winning the Mary Washington Invitational Tournament over Salisbury State University, Greensboro College, and Johns Hopkins University.
The Eagles also participated in the prestigious Elizabethtown College and Gettysburg College Tournaments, and finished second in the Rochester Institute of Technology and Greensboro College events. Skaggs, Clark, and Forthofer were each named all-tournament at two tournaments.
MWC also fared well again in the Capital Athletic Conference, finishing with a 5-2 conference mark. After gaining a birth in the finals in 1995, the Eagles advanced to the semifinals in '96, dropping a tight, 5-set match at Salisbury State. As the Eagles look forward to 1997, they see another tough schedule, with outstanding opponents from the CAC and a strong slate of in-season tournaments at Rutgers-Newark, Elizabethtown, Gettysburg, Juniata, and Franklin and Marshall College. With a strong nucleus returning and another exciting recruiting year, Conway and the Eagles will expect a return trip to the CAC Finals and continue the proud tradition of Mary Washington volleyball.