The 1998 Mary Washington College Volleyball team, one of the youngest at the school, relied on teamwork, dedication, and hard work in becoming one of the more dangerous teams in the Capital Athletic Conference. The Eagles, who had just two seniors and a total of three upperclassmen on the roster, experienced some growing pains, but matured quickly as a unit, and, fared quite well at all of their in-season tournaments, including, the prestigious events at Gettysburg College, Franklin & Marshall College, and Rutgers University-Newark.
Mary Washington got off to a strong start, winning seven of its first eight matches, including victories over regional and state foes Christopher Newport University, Lynchburg College, and Averett College. After a brief drought, the Eagles rebounded to finish fourth at the Rutgers-Newark Tournament, defeating Allentown College and Centenary College. The Eagles went on to advance to the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament, where their season concluded with a loss at second-seeded York College of PA.
Individually, the young Eagles saw several freshmen step up and contribute immediately, as is the case with most MWC programs. Outside hitter Jessica Collings played in every game, ranking third on the team in kills and attack percentage, fifth in service aces, and second in digs. Classmate Mary Barton aiso played in every game, serving as starting setter for all 116 games. Barton produced 1008 assists, as well as 165 digs and 48 service aces, good for third on the team in that category.
The third freshman that saw significant time in '98 was middle hitter Monica Bintz. Bintz played in every game, finishing with 168 kills and ranking second on the team in percentage and blocks. Other Eagles that made an impact in 1998 included hitter Kathy Gochenour and back-row specialist Kelli Hicks. Gochenour played through several nagging injuries, and may have started regularly had she been healthy. Hicks played in 55 games, registering 74 digs and ten service aces. The young players the team were set a good example by the veteran leaders -- seniors Deanna Heckman and Tamara Hinton, and junior Lisa Skaggs.
Heckman, the school's career and single season digs leader graduates with 765 career digs, despite playing just three years. Her 1998 total of 345 digs became the new benchmark for season digs as well. Hinton graduates with the school record for digs in a three-game match, with 16. Her leadership, like that of Heckman, will be missed. Skaggs, the most decorated player on the 1998 team, was named to All-Tournament teams at Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg, Elizabethtown, and Rutgers-Newark.
The All-Capital Athletic Conference selection finished' first on the team in hitting percentage, kills, service aces, and blocks. Rising junior Chrissi Stoehr also received numerous post-season awards, including All-Academic CAC, and GTE Academic All-Region. A biology major with a 4.0 grade-point average, Stoehr proved her value on the court as well, finishing second on the squad in kills, third in service aces, and added 216 digs and 51 blocks.