Netters dig into season

Sonja Karp
NLJ Sports Reporter
 
Dogie fans should recognize most of the ladies who will grace the volleyball court this season as the squad lost only four seniors from last year, however returning head coach Keeley Anderson let slip that there are some changes coming down the pike within the core of her team that can and will interject some excitement this fall.
“Our first week was great, and though we might have some low numbers this year, the girls’ mentality is great,” Anderson exclaimed. “I’m excited to see where that is going to lead us this season.”
Numbers for the squad are significantly lower than in the past, with only 19 young ladies ready to don a Dogie uniform. This will mean some juggling on the part of the Lady Dogie coaches, however Anderson is confident regarding the talent of those who are on her roster.
Last year, the young squad found themselves in a high-stakes, one-and-done regional tournament scenario, and an elevated level of adversity presented to the team on their way to the tournament played a role in ending their state tournament run far too soon. The lessons learned and the maturity a year provides has this team more prepared for this year.
A significant change to last year’s lineup is that 3A East All-Conference player Jaylen Ostenson, a junior, is shifting from middle hitter/blocker and back row defensive player to hitting outside as well as serving in the role of setter while in her back row rotation.
“I am super jacked about this move,” Anderson said. “It’ll be a loss to our back row for sure, but she sets our hitters up really well and she is hitting incredibly from the outside. You’re going to love watching her!”
Joining Ostenson as returning varsity player this fall is middle hitter/blocker Tiernan Stanton. Standing 6-feet, 2-inches tall, the junior brings a daunting physical presence to the net as well as an innate knowledge of the game learned through years of being a gym rat tagging along with her volleyball coach mom.
Junior Hunter McFarland will return as Ostenson’s opposite as she too is slated as an outside hitter and the second setter in the 6-2 offense Anderson plans to run.
Mackenzie Conzelman, also a junior, is moving into a starting varsity role as Stanton’s opposite in the middle hitter/blocker position, but will also play all the way around the court.
More juniors will round out the starting six as Shelby Tidyman and McKenzie Rose will also play all the way around the court and will serve as right side hitters/blockers while also providing back up setting if needed.

Finally, senior LaKacee Lipp is returning as the team’s libero, or back row defensive specialist, for her final season wearing the orange and black.
Unfortunately, a late season soccer injury to Shawnee Miles last spring has sidelined the senior this fall, which played into Anderson’s decision to change her lineup from last year.
“I was sad to lose Shawnee because I was super excited to utilize her a little more this year,” Anderson admitted. “She tried to play at the [Black Hills State University] camp and she did well, but it just didn’t work out for her.”
The squad had the opportunity to attend a couple of summer camps and to take advantage of open gyms as well as weight room workouts during the break. Though Anderson admitted that not all her players were able to take advantage of off-season training, a group of players made strides during the summer to improve their game, individually and as a team. 
“Our numbers were a little low, but those that were there were pretty consistent,” Anderson explained. “We did really well at the BH camp so that was fun.”
Looking across the conference, Anderson noted that the powerhouse Lady Bearcats from Douglas lost a great deal from last season’s team, while the Lady Bison of Buffalo are in a similar boat. Wheatland, however, is returning a great deal of talent from last year’s youthful squad so the Lady Bulldogs will be a team to beat. In addition, the Lady Trailblazers of Torrington are also returning some key players. Rawlins, which has a long history of winning volleyball teams, graduated several seniors, however, their tradition is strong, so Anderson expects them to reload again this year.
“With all of that said, I am pretty excited about our chances this year,” Anderson said. “We didn’t finish last year the way we wanted to, and the girls are hungry, and can back that up with the talent necessary to make their mark this year.”
The Lady Dogies will start their season by returning to the Douglas Invitational tournament on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 27 and 28. Due to low numbers, Anderson will send only a varsity team to compete while leaving the C team composed of freshmen and upperclassmen to compete at the home Freshmen Invitational tournament in Newcastle on Saturday, Aug. 28.