Chapin’s volleyball team is off to a great start this season and is seeking its best region finish in almost a decade. 

The Eagles entered this week 13-2-1 overall and 3-1 in region play, for second place. The team holds the tie-breaker over Lexington, for now, after beating the Wildcats in their first meeting this season.

Chapin played White Knoll for the first time this year on Tuesday and won, moving to 4-1 in region.

“ It's been a pretty good season so far. I think they're kind of buying into a lot of the stuff that we're trying to do, and they're responding well,” head coach Adam Speight said. “ I think that going into the season, they had a very good understanding of what their own strengths and weaknesses are.”

Chapin is a team that likes to play steady and in control. The Eagles want to take the best possible shots and throw their opponents out of system before they can attack. 

“ We've been focusing on winning first contacts, passing and defense,” Speight said. “ We don't want to just serve easy to them and let them just tee off on us. We want to create difficult hitting situations for them.”

The Eagles are led by their two liberos, Zoe Suarez and Ella Speight, Adam’s daughter. They are the ones in charge of leading the team on the court. Brooke Hiranandani and Hudson Goforth are two of the top hitters on offense. 

With the early success, Chapin has set some lofty goals this season. The team wants to finish top two in the region for the first time since 2017 and advance deep into the playoffs. 

To do that, Speight said the team must stick to its game plan and not be distracted by who is on the other side of the net. 

“ Everybody doesn't have to be an All-American all the time. They just have to do their job and play their role,” he said. “ They buy into the fact that we're developing game plans and scripts that play to our strengths and not try to force square pegs into round holes.”

The Eagles have five more games left this season, one against each region team. The rematches with Lexington and River Bluff, set for Oct. 7 and 9, could decide how the region shakes up. 

“ Our focus is always on the team wearing Chapin jerseys and not the team wearing the jerseys of whoever's on the other side of the court,” Speight said. “

Remaining schedule

Oct. 2 - vs Dutch Fork 

Oct. 7 - vs Lexington 

Oct. 9 - at River Bluff

Oct. 14 - at Irmo 

Oct. 16 - vs White Knoll