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WASHINGTON, N.C. – Nine members of the Washington High School volleyball team were busy in the school gym practicing last Monday night.

It may have been the Labor Day holiday, but these ladies were hard at work preparing for another week of volleyball. Thanks to one woman’s efforts, the program has a new coach who is hard at work making sure the team learns, grows and competes together.

“I had a parent ask me if I wanted to do it and I thought about it, talked with my family, see if I can make it work,” Washington volleyball coach Angie Shiflett said. “We’re all working very well together, you know, just everybody’s adjusting, just making it all work together as a team. So, it’s been crazy, it’s been a lot.”

Shiflett balances a full-time job and raising a family with coaching. She played some in college and has coached her daughter’s recreation team. So, when she became the coach, there was an adjustment period where they all came together and learned about each other through conditioning and workouts.

While the Pam Pack (1-3) have only played four matches going into Tuesday’s home match against North Pitt, three of them have been against conference opponents. It helps that six players have travel volleyball experience. At the same time, there are four freshmen on the varsity team.

“Yeah, just the potential,” Shiflett said of the adjustment period. “There are some really good young girls on this team that are gonna grow together If they continue to stay at Washington. They’re gonna grow and they’re gonna be a good team together.”

Riley O’Neal, a sophomore, is one of those players with travel ball experience, while Samantha Ward is one of two seniors on the Pam Pack. Both explained how they’ve been working hard and learning more about each other as the season continues.

“She’s teaching us things that a lot of us have never heard,” O’Neal said of Shiflett.” And six girls on the team play travel. So, we’re getting new insight and working better together as a team, especially with the progress in the last month or so, two months.”

“It’s definitely been, in a sense, harder not coming from travel ball,” Ward said. “But the team is so welcoming. And everyone really works well together. And everyone’s so individually good. Just being around in that type of environment really helps me grow as a teammate, and I can help my teammates grow in other ways.”

With a diverse group that mixes experience with talent and possibilities, the sky is the limit for this season’s squad.

“They all mesh well together,” Shiflett said. “They’re all very opinionated, which helps because, you know, I listen to them and take a little bit of that, a little bit of what I feel. So, I think all of it, it’s not really difficult. It’s just making it work and then bringing it all together at the end of the day and be able to execute at the game.”