MHS volleyball upbeat leading into tough openers
Staff writer
Right from the start of the Marion High School volleyball scrimmage Friday at the Sports and Aquatics Center, it was clear the enthusiastic, energetic style of new head coach Deanna Thierolf was reflected in her players.
“I’ve was pleased with their grit, their fire, their hustle — we have kids pushing each other,” Thierolf said.
Thierolf was still looking for clues, still trying combinations to hone in who would be the starting six.
“We’re still trying to figure out who’s going to go where and who’s going to do what,” Thierolf said. “One might play really well one day, then the next day the other girl will play well. We have about nine players that can come in and play.”
Since she’s still shuffling lineups, cohesive play is sometimes elusive, Thierolf said.
“We’re still looking for consistency, particularly in passing, so that we’re attacking and not playing defense all the time,” Thierolf said.
Thierolf had three days after the scrimmage to settle on a line-up and work on consistency before the Lady Warriors opened with a series of matches certain to stretch her team to the limits.
Marion hosted a triangular meet Tuesday that featured Hoisington, second-ranked in Class 3A, and Class 4A Smoky Valley.
Thursday the Lady Warriors travel to Hillsboro to face off against the defending 3A champions and top-ranked Lady Trojans. Matches against Moundridge and Southeast of Saline will be challenging as well.
“It’s OK,” Thierolf said. “I’d rather have it tough and let’s see where we’re at. Who knows? We don’t know what’s going to happen.”
The one-day turnaround between competitions won’t give the Lady Warriors much time to rejuvenate, Thierolf said.
“They’re going to have five matches in three days, and not any recovery time. Hillsboro played a Saturday preseason tournament, so they have all week to refine, refinish, and get some rest,” Thierolf said. “Moundridge isn’t going to be a pushover, either — they’re 5-1 right now. We’re just going to have to play error-free, and we can do it.”
While Thierolf wants match wins to build confidence, she emphasized the season is just beginning.
“We’d like to say yeah, let’s win them all at the front, but I’d rather win them all at the end. I want to be decent now, but let’s see where we are, build on that, and get better and better and better,” Thierolf said.