Iron Horse girls’ volleyball digs in, prepares for elusive state title

The 2024 season was one of milestones for the Philip Simmons High School volleyball team.

 

Dani Gehringer and Catherine Futch, friends since they were 4 years old, reached major milestones just three days apart. Futch recorded her 1,000th career dig, and Gehringer collected her 1,000th career assist.

 

Not only that, the Iron Horses program and coach Jay Watterworth both celebrated 200 career victories, and for the second straight season, the Iron Horses set a school record for 41 victories in a season, topping the 38 wins total in 2023.

 

“To get to 200 wins that quickly -– it is a neat thing to be a part of,” Watterworth said. “It’s a tribute to our players, fans, and community. That’s an average of 25 wins over eight seasons.”

 

But the Iron Horses failed to achieve what’s at the top of their list every year, and that’s a state championship.

 

“We don’t hide from the fact that our goal is to win a state championship every year,” said Watterworth, who is 200-69 at the school with 37 of the losses coming in the program’s first two seasons.

 

“But we don’t talk about it every day. We don’t want to win for the wrong reason, it has to be for the right reason. We have talked about it and know it’s out there. But we don’t talk about it every day.”

 

Last fall, the Iron Horses seemed to peak at the right time as they beat Atlantic Collegiate Academy to win its 15th game in 16 tries to advance to the Lower State Championship. However, North Central High School rallied from a 2-1 deficit to claim a 3-2 victory – and the state title.

 

It was a similar experience in 2023. Philip Simmons was in full playoff mode, taking a 13-game winning streak into the Class AAA Lower State Championship, but dropped a 3-2 decision to Camden High School. Wren High School later topped Camden for the state title.

 

The Iron Horses have scheduled foes from around the state to prepare for the grind that is chasing region and state titles. They will play in a tourney in Rock Hill, South Carolina, that will feature many Class AAA and AAAA teams. They will also play in tourneys at Porter-Gaud and Woodmont High Schools while hosting a tournament

at The Phil.

 

“It gives us some good competition and hopefully prepares us for a deep playoff run,” Watterworth said. “They enjoy playing together as a team. We just completed summer camp, and we played with a good energy. We have a very good team.”

 

Junior McCrae Stevenson had a big season last fall with 122 spikes, 237 kills, and a .497 hitting percentage.

 

Gabby Kakalev had a memorable freshman season. She led the team in receptions, was second in digs, and was third in both blocks and aces.

 

Sophia Pheney, a team captain last fall, returns for her final season and is closing in on 1,000 serves. There are two seniors on the team: Carson Mills and Maddy Meloeny. Mary Wells Mazur is back for her second season as a starter.