<body><div>(Ed. Note: This story is part of CoBL’s “Prepping for Preps” series, which will take a look at many of the top high school programs in the region as part of our 2026-27 season preview coverage. The complete list of schools previewed thus far can be found here.)~~~Villa Maria Academy will look to share the scoring load and move the ball faster as the Hurricanes seek their usual spots as an Athletic Association of Catholic Academies and District 1 contender.Sophia Tray has moved on to play lacrosse at Division I Loyola of Maryland after leading in many other ways and scoring more than any two of her teammates combined a year ago.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=35KlBQ_1GnLQ75W00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=35KlBQ_1GnLQ75W00" width="1500" height="811" ></figure>Villa Maria, however, has multiple returnees from a team that reached the finals of both the AACA and District 1 Class 5A before advancing to the second round of the PIAA state tournament for a second straight season.“I think we’re going to be pretty well-rounded,” Hurricanes coach Kathy McCartney said. “Last year, we depended heavily on Sophia. At times, my younger kids stood around and watched her do her thing, which she did very, very well.“I think that there’s other kids now that are ready to step up.”Anna Vickers, a senior guard who was last season’s top 3-point shooter, is one of four returnees who scored between 5.6 and 3.9 points per game last season. She pictures that balance benefitting from a quicker pace.“I think one of the biggest things we need this season is working on our transition and getting the ball up the court,” Vickers said. “Sharing the points throughout more of the team is going to help us to successfully score the ball and get more points on the board.“That’s something that’s going to happen this season and we’re working on it.”Villa Maria should be strong up front.Senior Becca Croft and junior Erin Urbanski are third-year starters. Another forward, Ashley Troy, joined Croft in earning second-team, all-AACA honors last season as a freshman.“She is an athletic 6-foot forward and we’re hoping that as she matures, she gets a little physically stronger,” McCartney said of Troy. “She did a real nice job for us last year.”Troy had 10 points and nine rebounds in her state tournament debut when the Hurricanes defeated Archbishop Ryan 49-42.<img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3etGif_1GnLQ75W00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3etGif_1GnLQ75W00" width="260" height="371" >Senior Ava Broadhurst, another forward, has been prominent off the bench on two straight teams that won first-round state games.McCartney envisions even bigger roles this season for Broadhurst and junior guard Georgia Spano.“We have a real nice mix of returnees and maybe some new folks that are going to help us out this year,” the coach said.Riley Genther, a forward, and Anna Bora, a guard, are two seniors that could also make a bigger impact.Troy is the top returning scorer and was third on the team in rebounds last season. Croft was right behind her in scoring while finishing second on the Hurricanes in rebounds and steals. Vickers joined them in averaging more than five points per game.“We should be more balanced,” McCartney said, “which I think could make us a little more difficult to guard.“I’m hoping we’re a bit more versatile.”McCartney enters her 39th season as head coach at Villa Maria where half of her teams have won AACA titles and a dozen have been District 2 champions.Villa Maria will open and close December with tournament appearances at Henderson and Cardinal O’Hara. There will be several tough challenges in between for a team that went 5-3 in the AACA and 17-12 overall last season.“We kind of break the season down, and I’ve done this every year, into the preseason games we play early on, our league season and then districts, and then finally states,” McCartney said. “It’s a four-part story. We play a pretty tough December schedule. I don’t mind taking some licks early on if we’re getting better. I think we’re going to get smarter in December and roll in January.“I’m hoping to be a contender in our league again.”</div></body>

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(Ed. Note: This story is part of CoBL’s “Prepping for Preps” series, which will take a look at many of the top high school programs in the region as part of our 2026-27 season preview coverage. The complete list of schools previewed thus far can be found here.)

Prepping for Preps '26-27: Villa Maria (Girls)

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(Ed. Note: This story is part of CoBL’s “Prepping for Preps” series, which will take a look at many of the top high school programs in the region as part o

Prepping for Preps '26-27: Villa Maria (Girls)

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