You can’t teach experience.
It’s never easy to compete in varsity sports against the top teams in the area, and a team loaded up with veterans is a great way to go into a season.
The Philadelphia Academy Charter High School volleyball team didn’t have that luxury.
Last year, the school had a junior varsity program, and while it was very successful, the young Chargers knew taking a step up to varsity would greatly up the competition.
It did. And it didn’t matter.
The Chargers didn’t just compete this year, they were among the top teams in the Public League.
Philadelphia Academy Charter finished the regular season a perfect 10-0 in Public League play, and advanced to the third round of the playoffs, where the run came to an end.
It wasn’t what the team was hoping for, but it was the perfect first season for the Chargers, who now have high hopes heading into the future.
It helps that they’re good.
It helps even more that they’re young.
“I was pretty nervous because it was a huge competition difference,” said Emilee Rathgeb, an outside hitter from Bustleton. “I knew we’d be playing teams that are very good and compete hard. So I was nervous, but I knew we could take on the role of being a varsity team.
“Our team is very good and we communicate a lot with each other. Going to the same school, it helps us grow and we all know each other. We’re all really close friends and that helps us a lot. We all play sports together, so we know how to bring each other up.”
“I was really nervous before tryouts because you didn’t know how good we’d be,” said Kaitlyn Asher, a sophomore outside hitter from Morrell Park. “But after tryouts, once I saw our team, I knew we could compete. I was very proud of us.
“My goal is to just grow as a team and most of the girls on our team haven’t played volleyball before. I want to grow as a team and grow as people and hopefully go far in the playoffs and maybe win a championship one of these four years.”
Not a bad start.
For a team just starting, a championship isn’t typically the goal. But when you put together a team like the Chargers have, the stakes are raised.
But even though the team enjoyed so much success a season ago at the junior varsity level, it didn’t mean this season would be a success.
It took a lot of hard work, a lot of growth and a lot of teamwork to reach the level Philadelphia Academy Charter reached this year.
It was the perfect storm.
“It’s awesome, it’s very cool, I wasn’t expecting this,” said Chargers coach Erika Knapp, who played volleyball for Abington and Rosemont College and now works at PACS in the special education department. “I hoped for the best, but I wasn’t expecting it to be as successful as it is. It’s been very cool to see. I think we made a lot of changes, we had a lot of girls try out. We had some incoming freshmen that helped build up the team a lot. It’s a very good group of girls that are willing to do anything to make sure we win and get better. They’re good at listening and taking everything in at practice.”
It helps that the team is close.
Just like family.
The same support they get on the court from the coaches and school is the same as they get at home. For some, it’s the same support.
“My mom is always so supportive of everything I do, drives me where I need to be, she’s my coach for a couple of things,” said Asher, whose mom is an assistant coach for the team. “She’s an assistant coach for volleyball, head coach for basketball and assistant for softball.
“It’s very fun playing for her. My dad and my sister, too. My dad is always there to support me and helps me if I’m struggling, And my sister Julianne, I played with her, she’s always supportive. She’ll pick me up when I’m down. She’s a freshman, she also plays basketball and softball with me.”
“My why are my parents and my sister,” Rathgeb said. “For my parents, they drive me to practice, especially my dad, he played sports growing up so he’ll help me if I did anything wrong. My sister plays the same sports as me, she is always there to help me and tell me honestly what I’m doing wrong and help me out. My family plays a big role.”
The Chargers will start preparing for next year almost immediately, but next year will be different.
All the firsts the team experienced this year will come easier next year.
The girls know what to expect. They know what they’re walking into. And they all have a year of being one of the best under their belts.
Next year will be a fun one for the Chargers.
“We worked very hard to get to this level,” Asher said. “We’ve competed very well with other teams in leagues and divisions. We just beat a team in a way higher division in the playoffs, we compete with Catholic school teams. We fought so hard to get here. I’m very proud and grateful. We’ll keep working.” ••
