Cougars look to build on playoff berth with new coach
Alumnus and former assistant Samantha Fleming takes over as Charleroi’s head coach.
Last fall was a truly historic one for the Charleroi volleyball squad, as they snapped a decade long playoff drought and even won the program’s first postseason contest in the preliminary round.
With only losing three seniors and having plenty of seasoned players coming back to the court for the Cougars in 2024, first-year coach Samantha Fleming is exciting about the fall for her team.
“Just a lot of positive energy and positive vibes in camp so far,” said Fleming, who is a Charleroi graduate and was the assistant coach the last two seasons for the Cougars. “The girls came together and we finally put a strong season together last year. Of course it takes talent, but sometimes you need to build that chemistry and trust with one another on the court.”
For the program’s identity going forward, Fleming kept it pretty simple.
“Continue to win,” she stated. “Play with that winning attitude and continue to improve as a team. The girls know it’s going to take a lot of hard work and dedication, but I strongly believe they are fully invested in this program. Making the playoffs will once again be our primary goal.”
Charleroi posted an overall record of 12-10 last year and finished third in a stacked, Section 3-2A with a 10-6 mark.
The Cougars beat Hopewell in the preliminary round, before suffering a first round setback to Freeport.
Southmoreland finished first in the section last year, but has been bumped up a classification. Section 3-2A now consists of Charleroi, Bentworth, Brownsville, Burgettstown, Chartiers-Houston, McGuffey, Washington and Waynesburg Central.
With 14 section games this fall, every time out on the court is a vital, playing experience for the Cougars.
“You can’t take anybody for granted and you got to play your very best every night,” Fleming expressed. “This section should be very even this season. With Southmoreland leaving, that leaves a big hole on top. I think Waynesburg and Brownsville should be good, but they did lose a lot of seniors. Char-Houston is a new team, and I think the teams that finished below us last year are much improved.
“But we don’t set any limitations for these girls. I think we can compete with anybody in our section and with our experience that should be a factor for us. We will take it one week at a time and hopefully play our best volleyball late in the season.”
Senior Kyra Short is back for Charleroi after making first-team all-section her junior year.
“Kyra is a versatile player with a high, volleyball IQ,” Fleming said. “She just plays with max effort all the time on the court and is one of our vocal leaders. We had to switch her to our setter midway through last season because of an injury. She stepped up for us and was a huge factor for our offense.”
Other key pieces for the Cougars this fall are seniors Avery Pendo, Alexa Pro, McKenna Shields, Emma Skobel, Lilli Lee and Lauren Leonetti. Pendo is the libero and cashed in on second-team all-section honors last year, while Leonetti was a third-team all-section honoree.
Pro will be at setter after sustaining an injury in 2023, while the Cougars are looking for contributions from junior Eden Smith and other underclassmen this season.
“We have about 20 girls on our team, and our seven seniors will definitely be key pieces for us,” Fleming mentioned. “Our depth will be good, and you need that in section play. These first couple of weeks of the season we are going to run out some different lineups and see what clicks. You have to build that chemistry and that cohesiveness early on in the season.”
Charleroi’s first home section game of the season will be against Waynesburg Central Sept. 3.
Mike Darnay / MVI Sports
