(by Don Meador, Public Information Officer, Allen County Schools, July 31, 2018)
The Allen County-Scottsville Patriot volleyball team enters the 2018 season with high expectations. Fresh off a 16-7 season last year---a season which included the school’s first District 15 volleyball championship, ----the Lady Patriot squad is poised for a deep playoff run.
Second-year coach Sarah Fisher is quick to note that practice this summer has strengthened her team.
“Summer has gone really well,” Fisher said. “We actually started open gym before school was out and then we went to two open gyms per week. After dead period, we went to the camp at Western and that really went well. The girls are looking good.”
This team will be anchored by three seniors---Abigail Cooper, Kaylee Baldwin, and Macy Ward. The trio has been in the program since middle school thus give the Patriots valuable experience.
“I have been talking to the seniors about being louder on the court,” Fisher added. “Whether they know it or not, the little ones are looking up to them. We want the seniors to be vocal and have their presence known.”
AC-S has a very large junior class of players including Meg Foster, Olivia Brown, Bre Varner, Avery Pitchford, and Jaden Carter.
“Our junior class includes our varsity setter, an outside hitter, our libero, and several of our defensive specialists,” Fisher explained. “The juniors will be a big presence on the court.
Foster has emerged as a key component in the AC-S attack. Her ability to set the ball---get the ball to the team’s primary attackers---proved valuable last year. Varner will play as an outside hitter. Pitchford will be a defensive specialist while Carter will be a defensive specialist who carries a “mean serve.”
Brown will “mostly likely” play as the libero----a player who is specialized in defensive skills. The libero will wear a different covered jersey. Per rule, the libero cannot block or attack the ball while it’s entirely above the net. In addition, the libero can replace any back-row teammate without notice to officials if the ball is not in play.
Coach Fisher likes the way her team is coming together with the season slated to open in early August.
“I am pleased with the way they are progressing,” Fisher pointed out. “This year, we have much better comradery on the court. They are laughing, giving each other high fives, and moving really well together. They have much better communication on the court and that is something I have seen from the team as a whole. We talk all the time about how communication takes you from proficient to distinguished. The communication and the comradery are pleasing.”
The final days of preseason practice will see the Patriot coaches continue to stress communication, passing, and serving.
“We talk all the time about how we can practice the sets for our front line hitters but we can’t do any of that if we can’t get a pass,” Fisher added. “We work a lot on back row communication and front row communication and we work on passing right to the setter so that we can run a play. We also will work on serving, which is very individualized. We talk about that. Each individual has the opportunity to score your team a point with a serve. That is huge.”
The Patriots are looking to repeat as District 15 champions and perhaps advance beyond the first round of the region for just the second time in program history.
“I hoping that we can make the district championship thing a tradition and I think we can do it again,” Fisher said. “I’m hoping we can get further in the region. With our team and what we saw against other teams at the Western camp, we have a good shot in region. I want to see us progress in the region and not get knocked out in the first round, they are better than that.”
To prepare the team for the rigors of the two-and-a-half-month season and a run toward a regional title, Coach Fisher has strengthened the schedule. Added to the list of matches will be overnight tournaments in Owensboro and Elizabethtown.
“We are playing in a couple of big tournaments,” Fisher noted. “That will help us see teams that we don’t normally play. That will help us be more well-rounded. That will make us better in the end.”
The AC-S program will include a new assistant coach---a coach with strong ties to the program. Shelby Shelton Keegan graduated from AC-S in 2010 and was a member of the volleyball team during high school.
“Shelby has brought energy to the program,” Fisher said/ “She brings a strong game knowledge to the program. Shelby was a front row player and I was a back row player. I feel like us together gives us a good hold on the game.”
The rest of the 21-player program roster includes Ellee Barton, Layla Carter, Kinlee Chaffin, Chloe Cook, Olivia Coulter, Aleigha Ellis, Gracie Hayes, Molly Jones, Madison Lynch, Lindsey Madden, Rachel Moore, Maddie Stallings, and Anna Walker. The younger players will tone their skills in freshman and junior varsity matches played on the same night as varsity matches during the season.
AC-S will scrimmage Greenwood at home at 5:30 on August 1 and at South Warren on August 2. The Lady Patriots are slated to open the season on the road at Franklin-Simpson on Tuesday, August 7 and will travel to Clinton County on August 13. AC-S’s home opener is August 14.