In the first three matches of its 2011 season, the Flint Hill volleyball team suffered nearly as many defeats—three—as it had in the three previous seasons combined—four.

With freshmen (four) outnumbering seniors (one) on the roster, this year offers Flint Hill a different challenge than seasons recently past. But the Huskies began their quest for a fourth straight Independent School League championship in familiar fashion Wednesday, cruising past St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes, 25-10, 25-5, 25-7, in Oakton.

“Last year, we won a lot of matches purely on talent,” said junior captain Shelby McAlpine, one of the team’s few veterans. “This year, we have to work a lot harder. I think a lot of people are expecting us not to be as good as last year. But we’ve set our goals high for this year.”

Flint Hill (3-3) set its newcomers a trial by fire at a competitive two-day tournament, Sept. 2-3. The Huskies lost their first three matches at the event before rebounding to win their final two.

The Huskies started slowly Wednesday, as well, trailing the Saints (0-1) 6-7 in a back-and-forth start to the opening set.

“The start was a little shaky,” head coach Carrol Anderson said. “It was the first regular-season home match, and the girls were a little quiet beforehand, unnaturally quiet. It was just a matter of getting rid of the nerves.”

Freshman middle blocker Michelle Abt killed the ball to kill the nerves, tying the set at 7-7. Junior outside hitter Haley McClure (team-high 9 kills) then stepped behind the back line and served off seven more points in a row, putting the Huskies firmly in control at 14-7.

It was a microcosm of the entire match for Flint Hill. A mixture of youth—Abt and classmates Allie Fellows (8 assists) and Gracie Anderson (7 aces)—and experience—McClure and McAlpine (4 kills, 6 aces) led the way. And long service runs kept the Huskies firmly in control throughout.

Gracie Anderson, Carrol Anderson’s daughter, served 10 straight points (with four aces) in the middle of the second set and another eight straight (with three aces) early in the third to put Flint Hill up, 8-1.

McClure followed Anderson’s run with an 11-serve run of her own to make it 18-2 and remove all doubt. The Saints did not threaten in either of the final two sets.

“As a team, we look to the upperclassmen to keep everyone focused,” McClure said. “With three or four freshmen, it’s hard. But I’m captain, and I try to step up a lot. … I look at it as an opportunity.”

The win put Flint Hill at the .500 mark for the first time this season, a concept that would have been unthinkable during last year’s 29-0 run to the ISL, City, and Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association titles. But Carrol Anderson is less concerned with matching last year’s dynasty than with building a new one.

“If we can accomplish that, ISL and states, with this team, that will be a great season,” she said. “But as a coach, you have to realize that it’s not actually about wins and losses. Every year is different, and this year, we’re very inexperienced. But we’ve got a lot of talent, and we want to keep getting better.”