Ready to serve it up

Sonja Karp
NLJ Sports Reporter
 
The Lady Dogies varsity volleyball team, under new head coach Jenny Willard, are poised to start their 2019 season almost right where they left off last November. With the loss of only one senior to graduation, a veteran squad of  athletes are back at it, ready to take their play to new heights.
“We are excited to get things underway,” Willard smiled. “As a coaching staff, we are confident in the ability of the girls and are looking forward to seeing them compete.”
With 32 girls out this season, the Lady Dogies have good numbers to fill three teams - Freshmen, JV and Varsity. Six seniors return to the court including Grace Coy, Johnna Dawson, Madi Pearson, Christina Hadlock, Jayme Cass and Kelsey Bennett.
“These girls have worked hard since practice started with two-a-days, and we are ready to get to work on breaking down into teams and focusing on the specifics in practice,” Willard said.
Returning starters for the Lady Dogies are Coy, Dawson, Pearson, Hadlock, Isabel Frank, Shawnee Miles and Claire Beastrom.
“I really think our middles will be very crucial to our play,” Willard predicted. “Grace and Shawnee will the ones to keep an eye out for, as they have really developed over the summer on their swings.”
Willard went on to point out that the hitters can only be successful if they are set up to do so, and commended Pearson and Frank with providing quality sets to not only the middle hitters, but also those on the right and outside.
Another focus for the team this season will be strengthening their net play, especially the block.
“Since we do not have a ton of height, other than Grace, we are going to have to get creative with our blocking,” Willard admitted. “We will be incorporating a swing block, and work on getting our hands high and sealed with quick movement from the middle.”
In assessing the conference competition, Willard noted that Douglas and Rawlins would be among the frontrunners, and admitted that the rest of the East side would also offer up tough competition.
“Nothing will be easy for us this year, but if we really narrow in on the foundational things, we should see some success ourselves,” she determined. “We have to continue to work hard and take care of the little things first and good things will happen.”
The motto of the Lady Dogies this year is “Bigger than me, Bigger than us”, and to that end Willard emphasized that the team not only has goals for the season, but also a mission outside of volleyball, which is to give back.
“We are giving back through team bonding, while coming up with community service ideas and projects,” she explained. “So far the girls have created tie blankets for foster families in our area, spent a morning at the Children’s Center forming positive relationships with the littles, and fundraised for two families who have dealt with tragedy.”
Last Friday at the Orange and Black football scrimmage, the team raised $400 selling snow cones, which they donated to the two families to help in their time of need.
The Lady Dogies will open up their season this Friday and Saturday at the Douglas Invitational Tournament. While the varsity and junior varsity teams will be competing there, the Freshmen squad will be hosting their annual tournament here in Newcastle.