Both the Britton-Hecla and Langford Area volleyball teams have plenty of veterans on this year’s roster, and both squads are hoping for good things this season.
The Lady Braves and Lady Lions will both kick off their fall campaigns on Tuesday. B-H will tangle with Leola-Frederick in Frederick, while LA takes on Waverly-South Shore in Waverly.
Britton-Hecla is also on the road at Tiospa Zina on Aug. 24 before its home opener against Tri-State on Aug. 29. Langford Area will compete in a tournament in Estelline on Aug. 26 before hosting Leola-Frederick for its home opener on Aug. 29.
Strong B-H Nucleus
Twelve returning varsity players, all upperclassmen, along with four returning starters give the Lady Braves plenty of reasons for optimism. The squad is also the largest in recent memory with 38 girls reporting for fall practice.
Varsity players back this fall include seniors Jayden Bender, Kaegan Fredrickson, Emma Kraft, Tiyanna Schott, Evelynn Tschappet, and Addison Wade. Juniors returning are Sterling Brassfield, Mallory Grupe, RaeAnn Hagenson, McKenna Heer, Heather Storbakken, and Annika Tank. Captains elected by the team for this year are Bender, Fredrickson, and Kraft.
First-year coach Jenna Peters has been pleased with the competitive practices during the preseason. As of Monday, she had not determined a starting lineup for the Tuesday opener.
“Competition is good, and we have some really good leaders. A lot of girls are vying for a lot of spots. Keys for us will be to develop mental toughness and work together as a team. We’re definitely shooting for a winning record.”
Peters pointed to a couple of things that will determine whether that winning record becomes reality.
“It all comes down to good passes, good communication, and uniting as a team,” stressed the new B-H coach. “We’ve also been working on our consistency with serves which us caused us some trouble in the past, and we want to develop some mental toughness. Last year any time the girls went to a fifth set they lost the match, and we want to start winning some of those close games.”
Peters said her club just wants to keep things simple.
“We’re working on perfecting the easy things so that the rest of the puzzle pieces fit.”
LA Veteran Crew
Eight letterwinners and a senior transfer have LA coach Susan Larson looking for an improved season in her 31st year at the helm of the Lady Lions.
“It’s nice to have a veteran crew and the kids kind of know what’s going on,” said Larson. “Anybody that we put out there is not new to the lineup and has played a season. Even if they are playing a new spot they still have that experience.”
Letterwinners on the 23member LA squad returning include seniors Cali Vander Vorst, Bryanna Peterson, Megan Gustafson, and Tawnee Nelson. Juniors back are Eliana Darling and Jordis Jenner, and sophomores include Paytyn Marlow and Clarissa Guy. Senior Bayleann Moen also transferred from Webster Area and is expected to be a key contributor.
“Five seniors is really a nice number,” said Larson. “We do have only one junior, so we’re kind of heavy on younger girls with six freshmen and six seventh and eighth graders playing JV.”
Larson said she has tweaked her club’s offensive attack a bit this fall, going to one setter instead of two. Nelson will hold down the setter slot, Gustafson and Darling will start at the outside hitter positions, Peterson and Moen will be middle hitters, Vander Vorst will hold down the right side, and Alex Darling, a newcomer to the varsity roster this season, will be the libero.
The LA coach is hoping her club can set the tone for the season in its opener on Tuesday.
“I’d love to see a win, but I really want to see us working together as a team and having fun playing the game in our opener,” concluded Larson. “Our goal is to better our record from last year and to just enjoy the game and the success it can bring.”
