The Lady Saints field hockey team came in at No. 5 in this week’s Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II poll.

At 4-1, the Nansemond-Suffolk Academy field hockey team has gotten off to a good start. It is especially impressive considering the circumstances of the last few weeks, during which quite a few games have been canceled or rescheduled due to heat and a hurricane.

“We feel good about the start we have gotten off to,” Coach Shelby Bourn said. “This week, we have a couple of tough games coming up, but we feel good.”

Though the last month was tough because of the weather circumstances, NSA has been able to get in the groove in the last few games, beating teams like Hampton Roads Academy and Walsingham Academy. Those are tough teams that were also ranked just below the Lady Saints in the Division II poll.

Last year, NSA finished at No. 4 in the poll, so No. 5 is indeed not too far off from where they can finish. It’s not something that they talk about all the time, but before the season the team talked about wanting to finish around or better than last year.

“We were all very excited about the ranking,” Bourn said. “Those other schools in the top five are very good, so being among the top is great for us. We have some good opponents coming up, so we want to keep climbing.”

Offensively and defensively, the Lady Saints have been more aggressive. The midfield has been supporting the offensive circle, giving the team more opportunities.

With NSA winning four of their first five games, Bourn has been reminding the team about the good things they have done. How NSA has been playing has worked for them early, so Bourn just tries to help them build on recent performances.

“These past few weeks we have really grown,” senior Lauren Meyers said. “We are playing more and more like a team every day.”