Champions! Wootton Completes 15-0 Season

Wootton tops Richard Montgomery 25-21, 25-23, 25-17 for MCPS Championship

Team Volleyball Shoes: A Semifinal Story

After a Wootton point in the fourth set, Aaron turned toward the bench with a big smile and said "These shoes are GREAT!"

The player next to me on the bench, Mark, sat with his stocking feet square on the floor. He smiled, satisfied with the way things were going in the match. Blair had just called their second timeout with Wootton leading 14-8. During the timeout, Aaron kicked off his torn shoes and put Mark's shoes on. In essence, however, Mark had sacrificed his chance at playing for the rest of the match.

"Are you sure about giving up your shoes so readily, Mark" I said as we sat down.

Wootton was leading the match 2 sets to 1. Mark had been poised to come off the bench to play whenever and wherever we needed him. So were the rest of the players on the bench. Their role has been "We'll beat you in practice, and we'll have your back if needed against any opponent."

With the Wootton veterans on the court battling against a tough defensive team in a highly competitive match, coming off the bench is a tough role to play. They must be ready at all times, willing to assume a role that makes the team better AT THE MOMENT IT IS NEEDED MOST. That moment may or may not come, so that role is often filled with words of encouragement or serving as extra sets of eyes in scouting the other team and giving feedback between games and during timeouts.

Or, as the new standard is set, giving up their shoes.

"Aaron needs them more than I right now" responded Mark.

The 13-0 Wootton Patriots defeated Blair three sets to one (26-24, 25-20, 19-25, 25-16) to advance to the championship match against Richard Montgomery High School, also undefeated, on Tuesday, May 14. First serve is scheduled for 7 pm at Magruder High School.

The 2013 Patriots will be following in the footsteps of some very good Wootton teams from the past few years, but they will be leaving behind big shoes to fill for those that follow.

Patriots Top Barons, Advance to Semifinals

Wootton sweeps Bethesda-Chevy Chase 25-9, 25-10, 25-9.

A young, athletic and well coached 9-3 BCC Baron squad made the trip to Wootton on a rainy tuesday to face the 12-0 Patriots. Though soggy outside, the volleyball spirit inside the gym was not to be dampened. The Patriots are playing their best volleyball of the season while the Barons showed the promise of the next few years, fielding a team consisting of one senior and the remainder sophomores and freshmen. The BCC fans showed great support for their team....something we all appreciate in the volleyball community.

Seniors Justin Fowler, Henry Zhou, Charles Wang, Aaron Krotman and Jeffrey Qiu earned the privilege to play another home match on Thursday, April 9 in a 6 pm semifinal match against Blair. A bittersweet thought, however, as it will be this senior class' last match on Wootton's court. Joining them will be a talented group of Wootton underclassmen, led by juniors Paul Malinauskas, Cary Chin and Benjamin Wang.  Sophomores Mark Pang, Richard Hum, Ethan Frymark and Adam Kaplan have made remarkable progress in a short season. Freshmen Aleks Psurek, Henry Shu and Justin Wu have assumed specialized roles on a squad that has marched to a 13-0 record. Together, these players have earned the school's fifth consecutive boys volleyball semifinal.

Here are the results from the 2013 MCPS Boys Volleyball Quarterfinals:
#1 Wootton defeated #9 BCC 3 games to 0
#2 Richard Montgomery defeated #7 Quince Orchard 3 games to 1
#3 Sherwood defeated #6 Watkins Mill 3 games to 0
#4 Blair defeated #5 Clarksburg 3 games to 0

The MCPS Boys Volleyball Semi-Finals will take place as follows:
#4 Blair at #1 Wootton at 6PM
#3 Sherwood at #6 2 Richard Montgomery at TBA

MCPS Playoffs, First Round: Wootton Tops Springbrook 3-0

Patriots move to quarterfinals with 25-6, 25-3, 25-13 win.

Here are the first round results from the MCPS Boys Volleyball Playoffs:
#1 Wootton defeated #16 Springbrook 3 games to 0
#2 Richard Montgomery defeated #15 Einstein 3 games to 0
#3 Sherwood defeated #14 Blake 3 games to 0
#4 Blair defeated #13 Rockville 3 games to 0
#5 Clarksburg defeated #12 Northwood 3 games to 0
#6 Watkins Mill defeated #11 Churchill 3 games to 0
#7 Quince Orchard defeated #10 Wheaton 3 games to 1
#9 BCC defeated #8 Magruder 3 games to 2

The MCPS Boys Quarterfinals will take place on Tuesday May 7 as follows:
#9 BCC at #1 Wootton at 5:15
#7 Quince Orchard at #2 Richard Montgomery at 5:15
#6 Watkins Mill at #3 Sherwood at 7PM (Coed at 5:15)
#5 Clarksburg at #4 Blair time is TBA

Wootton Earns #1 Seed for Playoffs

Here is the seeding for the 2013 MCPS playoffs (with match record, set record):
#1-Wootton (11-0, 33-2)

#2-Richard Montgomery (11-0, 33-4)

#3-Sherwood (9-2, 28-7)

#4-Blair (9-2, 30-8)

#5 Clarksburg (9-2, 28-10)

#6 Watkins Mill (9-2, 28-11)

#7 Quince Orchard (8-3)

#8 Magruder (8-3)

#9 BCC (8-3)

#10 Wheaton (7-4, 25-12)

#11 Churchill (7-4, 23-17)

#12 Northwood (6-5)

#13 Rockville (5-6, 20-19)

#14 Blake (5-6, 20-24)

#15 Einstein (5-6, 16-23)

#16 Springbrook (4-7, 15-22)

The first round of playoffs will be on Thursday, May 2 with the following matchups:

#16 Springbrook at #1 Wootton at 7PM (Coed match at 5:15)

#15 Einstein at #2 Richard Montgomery (Time is TBA)

#14 Blake at #3 Sherwood at 7PM (coed match at 5:15)

#13 Rockville at #4 Blair at 5:30PM

#12 Northwood at #5 Clarksburg at 6PM

#11 Churchill at #6 Watkins Mill at 5:30PM

#10 Wheaton at #7 Quince Orchard at 7PM

#9 BCC at #8 Magruder at 6PM

Wootton Completes 11-0 Regular Season at Springbrook

Patriots top Blue Devils 25-13, 25-20, 25-16.

With the win, Wootton clinched the top seed for the playoffs and the privilege to play Springbrook again in the first round.

After Win, Wootton Pauses for Senior Moment

10-0 Patriots capture 25-15, 25-23, 25-15 win against Clarksburg.

Wootton's Senior Night showcased the talents of Henry Zhou, Charles Wang, Jeffrey Qiu, Aaron Krotman and Justin Fowler. On the court, the seniors led the Patriots to a victory over a gritty, talented and well-coached Coyote squad that is taking direct aim at the championship title. After the match was over, the seniors got big heads, but not because of the win....

Pictured here long with the seniors from Wootton's Coed Team, this talented group has compiled quite a record. Consider:

• First-year senior Aaron Krotman has never lost a volleyball match.
• Henry Zhou and Charles Wang have an impressive winning percentage of 95% (38-2) in their three years on the boys team, 
• Jeffrey Qiu and Justin Fowler have never lost a regular season volleyball match in their four years on the boys team, advancing to the championship match twice and semifinals once.
• Including its win against Clarksburg, Wootton's four year set record is 160-15 and match record is 53-3 (45-0 regular season, 8-3 playoffs). 
• Wootton has won their Division Championship every year these seniors have played.
• With one more regular season match to be played, Wootton is positioned to earn the school's fifth consecutive #1 seed in the playoffs.

This is a talented group of senior leaders with an impressive record earned on the court. And they now have big heads, though I can't think of a more humble group of young men who better represent their school, families and the volleyball community both on and off the court.

Wootton travels to Springbrook on Monday, April 29 to close out the 2013 regular season against the Blue Devils. First serve is scheduled for 5:15 pm.