The Raiders Fab Five

Seniors leave their mark on Leonardtown volleyball team

Friday, Nov. 20, 2009

Many sports gurus may revert back to University of Michigan's "Fab Five" that advanced to the 1993 NCAA men's basketball national championship.

Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, Ray Jackson and Jalen Rose made up one of the best starting lineups in the country.

On a different court 16 years later, there were five special seniors who helped lead the Leonardtown Raiders volleyball team to a successful 2009 fall season.

Leonardtown (13-3, 10-2 SMAC) received a first-round bye in the Class 4A East region playoffs as the No. 3 seed. The Raiders went on to sweep sixth-seeded county rival Great Mills in the quarterfinals, but fell in four game to second-seeded nemesis Broadneck for the third straight season.

"They definitely had an outside hitter bring the heat that we didn't see this year," Leonardtown head coach Steve Correll said. "I thought my girls played well, I was proud of them. Most of my girls know how to win, now our goal is to have them having that hunger."

No. 1 of the Fab Five was senior outside hitter Roni Peters, who receives The Enterprise All-County player of the year honors, was the heart and soul of the Raiders regime this season.

"Everyone contributed and we had a very good group of girls," said Peters, who led the team with 114 kills and was second with 164 digs. "We never had any team problems. Whenever the girls would get down in the game I would tell them to ‘move to the next point."'

"She just has an uncanny ability to know where the ball is going to go and played great on defense and offense, just a smart player," Correll said on his 5-foot-5 stout. "She is going to be greatly missed next year because of her leadership. She was my team captain, one of the three, wasn't a vocal leader, but lead by example."

Great Mills head coach Deedra Earl added: "Peters was just a great leader and a competitor on the court."

No. 2 of the Fab Five was senior Jessica Morris, often referred to as "O.J." by Correll and her teammates, not only solidified work ethic on the court, but went through some adversity off the court after her mother, Tamma Binbel, was diagnosed with cancer last season.

"Me and my mom are really tight. She is like a best friend to me," said Morris, who dished out 117 assists, along with a 91 serving percentage. "Every day was a new thing for me coming to practice and playing my games. Whenever she had chemo [therapy], I would play my games for her and just to see her in the stands at the home games really lifted my spirits. It was a big deal, but I did what I had to do to leave my senior year with a good team."

Correll noted: "Last year when she transferred from Virginia [Chesapeake High School] she was new to the system. She really stepped up her leadership this season. She was vocal and was very encouraging to the team."

No. 3 of the Raiders' Fab Five was senior Jessica Hair. She posed as another outside hitter on the right side and was a threat to either provide stuff blocks or turn hits into kills on the offensive end. Hair finished her final campaign averaging 0.9 blocks a contest and delivered 52 kills.

"Jessica was like the comedian of the group," Correll said. "She plays serious, but still has a fun side and that's what kept the girls loose in tight games. She's fun; she does crazy things at practice and makes everyone laugh, including myself. A great kid, but when she walks in between the lines, she's all business."

No. 4 of the Fab Five was senior Stephanie Hall, who compiled 114 assists in the fall, averaging almost seven a game, while boasting a serving percentage of 85.

"Stephanie is very quiet, a great kid and has totally different personality from the other seniors," Correll said of his two-year setter. "And she works very hard."

The last of the Fab Five was senior Sarah Milcetich, a key defensive specialist. Though having limited playing time on the hardwood as a senior, she was the team's voice that spearheaded mental toughness through her teammates.

"She was more like the cheerleader and was the one that got everyone going," Correll said. "She was the voice in the huddles when we had timeouts and the one encouraging everyone."

Correll added: "Losing five seniors will definitely be different because my offense and defense will be gone, so I have to find people to step up and fill those holes."

ajmason@somdnews.com