Lady Dogs volleyball growing in numbers

Sports

Related Photos

Discussion

August 4, 2009

Gene Schallenberg The Huntsville Item Tue Aug 04, 2009, 11:03 PM CDT

NEW WAVERLY — They came out in bunches.

Approximately 25 girls in all, plenty more than New Waverly head volleyball coach Stacy Hill had anticipated, came out for the team’s first practice Monday morning.

With so many players at Hill’s disposal, returning starters will have to step up their game in order to lock down their positions for the upcoming season. The Lady Bulldogs are also going to have the luxury of fielding freshman, junior varsity and varsity teams for the first time.

“We’ve got a lot of girls that we can utilize,” Hill said Tuesday. “A lot of them play the same position, so they’re having to battle for where they’re going to play.

“I think it’ll help us because we’re going to have more opportunities to have more teams. It pushes girls, too. Those girls that are kind of on the lower level, but they really, really love the sport and they want to play, it gives them an extra boost to work twice as hard. I have two middle hitters that really want to be on varsity, and they work really hard every day trying to get there,” the coach added. “I’m excited about having three teams for the first time. It just shows that our program is really growing.”

Along with plenty of competition, the Lady Dogs have also improved on the court after a lot of the players spent their summer playing club volleyball in North Zulch.

“The cohesiveness of this team is much better than any other team I’ve coached in the past,” Hill said. “They all talk and all get along. They’re clicking a lot better than I thought they would.”

Without a coach to guide them this summer, the Lady Dog veterans had to improvise and instruct the younger players.

“It improved us a lot,” senior hitter Mallory Eastland said. “We didn’t have coach Hill there so it was just us working off each other and telling each other what to do. We were in charge of the younger teams, too. We told them where to go. It was just a matter of figuring everything out.

“We’re very close now and we’re able to work well with each other. We talk off each other and feed off each others’ strengths. We know how each other plays. The dynamic is good since we’ve all been playing together for so long.”

Another plus from playing in the summer league was the freshmen got a head start on playing in games with the upperclassmen.

“The freshmen had time to play with the varsity girls for a couple of games,” senior setter Alena Salinas said. “I think it helped us because we had to work with each other. We didn’t have anyone directing us, so we had to step up as leaders and show these girls what to do.”

Before beginning the 2009 campaign at Grapeland on Aug. 25, New Waverly will scrimmage Hearne, Coldspring and Onalaska on Saturday morning at Bulldog Gym.

“We’re very excited for the scrimmage,” Eastland said. “I think we’ll do well. Today was the first time we played as a team on the court. We talked a lot more than we did last year. We’re looking really good right now.”

The Lady Dogs have plenty of high hopes going into the season. From the seniors on down to the freshmen, making the playoffs is a goal they hope can be reached this season.

“I think we’re a tighter group than we were last season. This year I think we’re really close and can do a lot,” Salinas said.

Text Only

Sports

Bigger, faster and stronger, Hornets can’t wait to kick off 2012 football campaign
This spring, the Hornets have overhauled their offensive plans and head coach Shane Martin, his assistant coaches, and most importantly, the players are pumped about the changes they’ve made.

May 26, 2012 3 Photos
Schallenberg: Kats now hoping résumé speaks for itself
Despite one of the best seasons in school and Southland Conference history, all the Bearkats can do now is watch scoreboards, wait and hope for the best.

May 26, 2012
The thrill of victory ... the agony of defeat
The Bearkats knew exactly what they needed to get done and they were up to the task.
In order to reach championship day of the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament, the Kats would have to stave off elimination twice just to get to today’s final round.
The Bearkats nearly pulled it off.

May 25, 2012 2 Photos
Kats beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 4-3
May 25, 2012
Alive and kicking: Bearkats still in hunt at SLC baseball tourney
With the possibility of going home early from the Southland Conference Tournament and a chance of their season coming to an abrupt end, the Bearkats needed some quality starting pitching and production from their bats in the worst way.
Like he has done all year long, Sam Houston senior Justin Jackson delivered a lights-out performance on the mound and the offense made the kind of impact the Bearkats have been looking for Thursday morning.
Both elements came together at the exact right time as the Kats stayed alive in the tourney with a 7-1 victory over McNeese State in an elimination game at Bobcat Ballpark.

May 24, 2012
Bad day for Bearkats
The Bearkats’ road to the NCAA tournament just got a little bit tougher.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi broke out for four runs before top-seeded Sam Houston even stepped to the plate Wednesday afternoon, but the Kats couldn’t find a way to counter that first punch.
Sam Houston connected for eight hits, but could not get enough of those in a row to make a dent in the deficit and are now one loss away from being eliminated from the Southland Conference tournament following a 9-2 loss at the hands of the eighth-seeded Islanders on Wednesday afternoon at the Bobcat Baseball Ballpark.

May 23, 2012
Schallenberg: Time is now for Bearkats in Southland tourney
The Bearkats look to take care of business this week in the Southland Conference baseball tournament.

May 20, 2012 1 Photo
Alpha Omega Academy trio shine at state track meet
Freshman brings home four medals, including two golds

May 19, 2012
Tough night for Kats against Rice
The Bearkats had a golden opportunity to make a lasting impression for a potential at-large bid in the NCAA tournament with fifth-ranked Rice coming to town. Sam Houston’s bats couldn’t get going early enough or be able to link enough hits together against the Owls pitching staff and succumbed to a 5-0 loss in the final game of the season at Don Sanders Stadium on Tuesday night.

May 16, 2012 2 Photos
BEARKAT BASEBALL — Plenty up for grabs against fifth-ranked Rice
For several reasons, today’s game against fifth-ranked Rice is going to be a biggie for the Bearkats.

May 14, 2012 1 Photo
More Sports Headlines

Sports

Search Results

Related Photos

Discussion

Lady Dogs volleyball growing in numbers

Site Map

Contact Us