My Girls :)

Volleyball has been a little bit of a struggle these last couple months with the team that I coach. They are seriously the best group of girls and I'm not just saying that because I'm their coach. The last two tournaments, something wasn't clicking into place with my girls. They had a hard time playing with the energy they usually bring and as a result we lost everything. I didn't know what to do or say to help them out. I tried many different approaches with the girls but nothing worked. I finally just stopped trying new things and let them work through it. That has been the most effective approach.

We had a tournament this last weekend and I'm not going to lie, I was nervous to see how my girls would play. Each match is played the best 2 out of 3 games wins the match. Our first game of the first match about gave me a heart attack. The girls started out super slow!!!! They weren't passing like they could and then when they got a pass someone would hit it out the back!!! Lucky we barely pulled it out. We won 29 to 27 (the game usually stops at 25 but you have to win by 2 points). I wasn't sure how the next game would go. Fortunately, the girls played much better and won by a huge margin. From then one they won most matches in two. I was so proud of them. Their best match was the championship match. They played aggressive, smart and happy!

After the game I received a few compliments on my girls. A majority of my team are small girls and we have very little heighth with the tall ones. We range from 5'9" to 5'0". The two shortest ones are my sister Sariah (she might even be 4'11") and Morgan (5'2"ish). They are extremely fast. They had some spectacular plays where they had to chase down a ball 30+ feet away! They are pretty much amazing and a few people came up and told me how amazing they thought they were. I was happy to pass the compliments on!! As the libero (only plays back row and wears a different color jersey) Sariah is AMAZING! She is so quick and just knows the game. She belongs on the court and everyone can see it. The game is so natural for her that sometimes I don't think she is even putting any effort into it!

My tall girls played amazing as well!! Ciera had her best tournament this weekend. She is one of my middle blockers and she hit exceptionally well, which gave us a lot of momentum! She is improving lots and I am so happy for her. Stephanie has been a solid player for the last few years but was struggling hard core about a month ago. However, she did AMAZING! She is my other middle blocker and rarely gets the chance to play back row. This tournament I suddenly changed my game plan and kept her in all the way around. I thought she might struggle with the passing and defense but she did so so well. I will have to try her out back there more often.

My left side players did amazing too. Two of my girls have ankle injuries but they play through it. If it was up to Ali, she would play all the time (even though the doctors said she shouldn't play at all). Ali is my Defensive Specialist. She plays back row and does amazing at it. She isn't as quick as Sariah and Morgan because of her ankle but she naturally knows were to move to get the ball. This tournament she has improved a ton on her all around game. I am so proud of her!!! Cassie is one of my ourside hitters and she is one of my surprises for the other team. Although she doesn't look like she can or will, Cassie can hit the line whenever she wants. She is my most consistant hitter. She rarely hits it out or in the net. She can place her hits in smart places! I'm so lucky to have her on my team. Courtnie is my best left side hitter. She has so much power and continues to improve on the control she has. She helps out so much in the front row and she is a great passer. Unfortunately, she is the other one with a hurt ankle. I am proud of the way she played. I couldn't tell you which ankle hurt because she didn't let it show.

And last but not least my setters, Preslee and Morgan. They work so hard and control the game very well. Because nearly every ball goes through them, they need to have a knowledge of who is where and when on the court. I couldn't ask for better setters. Preslee has wonderful hands and a powerful swing. It is so nice to have a tall setter. She is very smart with her placement of the ball and is improving all the time. Morgan is so quick and gets to things I think she can't get. She has wonderful hands whether her feet are on the ground or not. Although she is short, she has mad hops!! These girls work hard and don't receive a ton of glory! Good work ladies.

I absolutely love my girls and I love coaching!