Staff file photo by Graham Cullen Jessica Custer, first-year coach of the Thomas Johnson vollyball squad, takes over a team that has been a perennial power in the county. Purchase this photo

That opportunity came last fall when longtime Thomas Johnson coach Jim Dorsch stepped down after a storied 12-year stint as the Patriots' coach.

Custer, who had served as an assistant with Dorsch for the last seven years, moved into the head coaching slot for TJ.

"I'm anxious for the season to get started," Custer said. "But the preparation involves a lot of long, hard work."

Custer has a long history in the sport. She was a key player in high school at Williamsport, a traditional volleyball power in Washington County.

From there, Custer went on to play at McDaniel, when it was known as Western Maryland College. She landed a job in Frederick after graduation at West Frederick Middle School. She also became an assistant to Dorsch at TJ.

Learning how to handle offseason and preseason work was not hard, Custer said, noting she had a good teacher in Dorsch.

"Jim was a good mentor," she said. "He showed me the right way of preparation."

Dorsch taught Custer his volleyball philosophy -- the Gold Medal Squared System used by U.S. Olympic coaches. The system stresses a positive motivational aspect of the sport.

Dorsch also taught Custer about the rudimentary facets of running a team, such as planning practice and setting goals. One of the goals was easy, making a bid to return to the state Class 4A championship match at University of Maryland's Ritchie Coliseum in November.

TJ fell to Broadneck last season in the title match, 3-1.

Another thing Dorsch taught Custer was how to handle it when things don't go as planned for the team. "We've had good seasons, but sometimes we had letdowns," she said. "Jim showed me how to work through them with the team."

Megan Lynch, senior middle hitter on the team, said the players are doing their part to get the team off to the right start with its new head coach.

Custer is stressing communication between the players.

"The players on the floor need to be aware of what's going on at all times," Custer said. "Knowing whose supposed to be where and when goes a long way in a match."