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Volleyball: Not so Sample: Hebron adjusting without all-state setter
By Justin Thomas, jthomas@starlocalnews.com
Hebron’s volleyball team kicked off its 2012 campaign during the past week, facing off in a non-district contest against Grapevine last Tuesday before competing in a tournament later in the week at Grapevine.
And while the Lady Hawks fell short in their opener against the Lady Mustangs (25-18, 18-25, 25-22, 24-26, 15-9), Hebron head coach Karin Keeney was pleased to see the resiliency of a youthful club as they responded in the tournament to beat Grapevine in two sets.
The Lady Hawks had opened with wins in pool play by sweep Friday over R.L. Turner, Richland and Frisco Lone Star but were unable to build on the win over Grapevine, falling short Saturday in the Gold Bracket against The Woodlands in two and Bishop Lynch in three.
Keeney is hopeful that drive to improve will continue through district competition.
“Our goal is always to make the playoffs,” Keeney said. “But more specifically I want to make this team more fierce and more competitive because we have such a young team. At some points, we’ve had three freshmen on the court at the same time, but I think so far the newcomers are really starting to gel.”
In addition to implementing inexperienced varsity players, the Lady Hawks are adjusting to life without last year’s District 7-5A MVP in setter Brittany Sample.
“We’re going to be running a 6-2 system for the first time in Hebron history,” Keeney said. “I’ve been so spoiled the last few years with Brittany and the other setters we’ve had. But we don’t have a setter in the front row like we traditionally have and this will allow us to get a few more kids playing time and sub quite a bit more.”
Keeney said the girls are adjusting to the system well.
“It’s really more of an adjustment for me,” she said. “I’ve just been spoiled. But the girls are handling it well. They all bring different strengths, I just need to figure out how everything meshes and who fits well with each other.”
Early on, meshing the youth with the returning varsity experience has gone well.
Freshmen the Lady Hawks are relying on include Kendall Patterson, Jordan Yauch and Abbey Yates.
Patterson, who will fill one of the setter roles, was described by Keeney as maybe the most intelligent player on the club and will also see time at outside hitter. Yauch brings more versatility with her ability to play outside hitter, right side and back row, while Yates was brought up to the varsity level because of her defensive abilities.
“They’re freshmen,” Keeney said. “But they’re here because they deserve to be. They’re good players.”
Returners include middle blocker and right side Micaela Spann (second team all-district last year), middle blocker and right side Lauren Kirch (honorable mention), setter Marissa Salazar (second team), libero Banner Rodgers (first team) and outside hitter Loren Williams. Kennede Banks also gained varsity experience last season on the right side.
“Micaela has been doing a great job in the middle for us and is a big part of our offense,” Keeney said. “She had 44 kills on the weekend and hasn’t missed a beat.”
Kirch, meanwhile, tallied 25 kills as she experiments with playing all around on the court.
“We’re doing that more so to allow Lauren to be able to attack from the back row,” Keeney said.
Williams, who is returning from an injury last season, and Banks add even more depth to the attack.
Salazar, however, is adjusting to life at a new position as she will play setter in the 6-2 alongside Patterson.
“[Salazar] used to be a defensive specialist for us,” Keeney said. “But now she is back to setting with Brittany gone. She is so selfless and wants to do what is best for the team. And Kendall does a great job with ball control. We’re adjusting well.”
With Salazar shifting to setter, more of the defensive responsibility falls on the shoulders of Rodgers.
“We’re trying to get her to lead the back row and be a little more of a vocal leader,” Keeney said. “But on the court, she is just a great defensive player. Maybe the best at serve-receive that we’ve ever had. Her consistency is incredible.”
Also up on the varsity squad from junior varsity last season are right side players Rayvon Christian and Rebecca Scarborough. Rounding out the roster are defensive specialists Hailey Nix and Emery Moody, setter Hannah Holloway and outside hitter Brookah Palmer.
“We have a lot of firepower,” Keeney said. “Right now, we’re just working on finding the best ways to get them the ball. Our defense and chemistry are works in progress and we’re still not exactly sure who our go-to players will be. Sometimes we think we know, and then it changes.”
While the Lady Hawks are still seeking cohesion, Keeney believes its depth and versatility will eventually be a positive when the team is on the same page.
“We have a lot of girls that can play more than one position,” she said. “And we’re working with a lot of girls to get them where they are comfortable at different positions. It’s going to make us tough to matchup with and there are a lot of things we can do against different teams.”
Hebron continues Friday when it competes at the Texas Open in Allen.
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