It’s that time of the year, as high school volleyball returns to the court with everyone hoping to set themselves apart in district and region play.
Daviess County:
Daviess County volleyball is looking to improve each night in order to compete amongst the best in the district.
The Panthers have plenty of players returning, with Head Coach Tyla Bailey expecting senior leadership to come from Kayla Clark and Acadia Brandle.
There’s also a group of juniors returning that have played varsity minutes including Josie Newcom, Adylan Ayer, Lexi Owen, Mary-Grayce Hill, and Kaylee Garrison.
With this crew, Bailey said that the team has to replicate its play from a year ago to find that same level of success.
“Coming off of such a strong season, I’d like to see us continue to keep the energy high and really embrace the ‘next ball’ mentality,” Bailey said. “Perfection doesn’t exist. Mistakes will happen. When they do, learn from it and do better ‘next ball.’ Consistently do the small things well. Each girl has proven they have what it takes and are motivated to do well.”
The keys to that success—teamwork, consistency and the Panthers playing their game according to Bailey.
If they can put these pieces of the puzzle together, Daviess County feels that they can have a very strong season.
“We are looking forward to and anticipating another great year of Daviess County volleyball,” Bailey said. “We expect to come out strong each night and get better every day. Set the tempo early and play our game. Control what we can, and adapt to what we can’t.”
Owensboro:
The Red Devils will be a much younger team than they were a season ago, but that doesn’t have them setting expectations lower in the slightest.
Owensboro graduated three seniors following last season, so they will rely on their returning juniors Brooklyn Williams, Mia Covington, and Kennedy Thompson for their experience and leadership.
Along with these three comes reinforcements in Hannah Ashley and newcomer Maya Joska, who Head Coach Melissa Hibbs said will be key cogs in their program.
“While not new, after seeing limited playing time last season, Hannah Ashley will be a key player for OHS,” Hibbs said. “Switching positions, she controls the back row for the young team. Another newcomer to keep an eye for is Maya Joska. As a young player, Maya brings a lot of volleyball knowledge and experience with her. She will need to be big for OHS’ success this season.”
Despite the lack of experience on the team, Hibbs thinks that they are more than capable of making a run in postseason play.
“While being young, we still have a lot of expectations for ourselves,” Hibbs said. “We do not want to settle for complacency but rather working on getting better everyday to be able to compete for a district championship in October.”
In order for them to do so, Hibbs said the team has to maintain a high level of energy in order to put them in situations that lead to success.
“In order to be able to be in that position, we are going to need to work on consistency and energy,” Hibbs said. “We have to focus on not letting teams get on runs and controlling our side of the net. Over the past year, we have really worked on our tempo of play and serve receive. These need to be consistent if we hope to compete within the district.”
Owensboro Catholic:
With a young roster, Owensboro Catholic is looking to gain experience and gradually improve while playing as a team to win games.
The Lady Aces have five seniors on the roster, including Cate Sights, Hadley Latham, Delaney Brey, Grace Moseley, and Claire Augenstein, all who Head Coach Brian Hardison said will play key roles.
Owensboro Catholic might be young, but the team is confident in its ability defensively, while also having support from a pair of setters and a jack of all trades on the roster.
“Our back row is solid with Emily Christian running the defense,” Hardison said. “Blaire Riney, Kenlee Ackerman, and Carsen Tipmore bring a lot of defense. We will have two setters in Kennedy Murphy and Paige Miles, and I have a utility player that can play any position Abigail Williams.”
Hardison believes in the young talent on the roster and says as long as they improve in every aspect of the game and come together as a team, the future is bright for the Lady Aces.
Apollo:
Apollo volleyball is gearing up for the 2021 season with multiple All-District players returning and reinforcements looking to make a push in district play.
The two leading seniors returning are Havanah John and Maddi Boswell at Outside Hitter. Meanwhile, four seniors in libero Abby Spong, defensive specialist Courtney Hagan, middle hitter Aliyah Carwile and setter Allie Hargitt will accompany the duo.
Head Coach Maryanne Howard said that the team also has a number of players that will be able to make an impact right away.
“We have some young players who are making a big impact so far in the preseason,” PERSON said. “Kaley Dickinson (Sophomore Defensive Specialist), Ava Fazio (Freshmen Middle Hitter), Abie Butterworth (Freshmen Right Side Hitter), and Ella Alvey (Sophomore Defensive Specialist). These players are stepping up as role players to fill in the open areas in our lineup.”
Howard said the biggest thing they’ve focused on and need to improve this season is consistency. Howard also said the team plays with a lot of energy and passion and if they can combine that with consistent play they can be very successful.
“One goal for our team this season is to establish ourselves as a top competitor in the District and Region,” Howard said.
In order to set themselves apart from the competition, Apollo will focus on jelling as a team and maintaining a pace of play.
“We need to continue this as the season progresses and maintain the energy and momentum on our side of the floor,” Howard said. “A major key for this team will be building our team chemistry on the floor as the season progresses, getting into a flow with both our seasoned seniors and new varsity players. We have the ability to make explosive plays and we have been focusing on putting ourselves in good positions to make these plays.”
Trinity:
Coming into the 2021 campaign, Trinity volleyball is looking to set a precedent for the program for years to come.
Having graduated one senior from last season’s roster, they have a number of athletes returning. Those include senior Taylor Pedley, junior Josie Aull, and sophomores Hannah Nash and Georgia Howard, who Head Coach Daniel Morris thinks will be some of the most impactful players on the floor.
“They have developed well over the summer and bettered themselves in preparation for the season,” Morris said. “I also expect some leadership to come from senior outside hitter Cassidy Morris. Although she didn’t play on the floor last year due to a knee injury, she was still part of this team. Over the last two seasons, she has developed relationships with all of her teammates that puts her in a role to help lead this team to success.”
With this progression, Morris thinks this team can accomplish amazing feats for the program.
“My expectations for this group of girls is to have them flourish and succeed in a way that Trinity volleyball has never done before,” Morris said. “In the last couple of years, we have competed with the big names in volleyball, but haven’t quite got over the hump with winning those games. Having those eye-opening wins and a team that is ready to make a statement on the year is a recipe set for success.”
In order for Trinity to have that level of success, Morris said they have to stay on track while playing calm as a team.
“This group has the potential to do amazing things this year,” Morris said. “Staying focused, being able to finish, and playing relaxed will be some of the aspects that will help us succeed in this upcoming season.”
