A growing program

Shane Mettlen / Culpeper Star Exponent
Published: August 13, 2007

Theresa Gore used to wonder how Culpeper County High School volleyball was ever going to compete with the rest of the Cedar Run District.

Gore, who coaches the Devilettes with Kevin Mozingo, had gotten used to around 20 girls showing up to tryouts in Culpeper each August while other Group AAA schools in the area might have as many as 100 attempt to make a team.

"It's so hard to stay competitive when they have so many more kids to choose from and they have feeder programs down through the middle schools," Gore said.

Culpeper might not be expected to challenge for the district title this year after going just 2-15 and 0-7 in the Cedar Run last season, but the Devilettes may have reached a turning point in the program's seven-year history on Aug. 1 when 37 girls showed up at the CCHS gym to give volleyball a try. With almost twice as many students to pick from Gore and Mozingo were no longer wondering how they might fill both a varsity and JV squad. Instead CCHS is  adding a freshman team for the first time.

"We're used to cutting maybe one of two girls or maybe not cutting anybody," Mozingo said. "But we get to pick and choose a little bit now and that's a nice part of it."

The sudden increase in numbers came as surprise to the Devilettes' coaches, who hadn't planned on a need for more teams. But with a large number of underclassmen attempting to make either the varsity or junior varsity team, Gore said she would like to keep on eight additional eighth and ninth graders to make up the freshman team.

Because the freshman squad was founded on short notice it won't play a district schedule this season, but Gore and Mozingo don't think they will have much trouble scheduling a few scrimmages with other freshman and middle school teams.

Besides, the real value of adding a freshman squad is the extra practice, which should help the varsity program in the years to come.

"If we can get a game in here or there that would really help get them some experience," Gore said.

As more players make their way to the gym for volleyball there's a growing concern about who will coach them all.

Gore and Mozingo work together to coach the varsity and JV and are also heavily involved in youth and recreational volleyball in the Culpeper area. Adding a third team at the high school might be too much for the pair to handle by themselves, but Mozingo said it's an important step for the growth of the sport in Culpeper.

"We have so many kids and you hate to turn them away," he said. "It would be really nice to keep them in the gym somehow. Hopefully this freshman idea will work."

Gore sees it as the only way to eventually compete on a level with other schools in the Cedar Run.

"Our goal is to have varsity, JV, freshman and middle school," Gore said. "If we get this freshman thing going then we are a step closer."

Shane Mettlen can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 127 or