Alter Tournament Helps Prepare Team
Kettering, OH (July 27, 2004) On Saturday, the Lady Spartans volleyball team traveled to Alter High School to compete in their first tournament, the seventh annual Alter volleyball summer invitational.
There were three pools in the tournament; the first two played at Alter and pool three played at St. Charles. Alter, Oakwood, Lehman, Springfield North, Centerville, Marion Local, Marion Pleasant, Ft. Loramie, CJ, Fairmont, Urbana and Valley View all competed in the tournament.
"It was a tough tournament but we gained some valuable experience. There were some strong teams there. We were grouped with CJ, Fairmont and Urbana," coach Jill Dickson commented.
Valley View went up against Urbana in the first round, falling in two games. The second game was neck and neck, but Valley View just couldn't pull through with the win, losing 23-5.
The Spartans struggled to make things happen with only eight players participating. Prior to the championship round, two players had to leave reducing the Spartans to six, the minimum number of players needed to play.
Dickson was happy to get things rolling and felt that the girls that were able to come gained a lot of knowledge about themselves, the other teams and the new rally rules.
"I'm pleased we came. It was a great experience for those girls who came to the event. The girls who came learned a lot," Dickson said.
There are three new rule changes this year. The most obvious is the rally scoring to 25 points, 15 in the final game. In addition to rally scoring, there will be a libero (a defensive player only) and net serves will be allowed.
"Every serve counts, so our serves are important because if we miss one, our opponents get a point. We also got some good practice on net serves. We have to learn to react quickly on those serves and I think the girls who were there started to get more comfortable with that," Dickson stated.
"A libero would be a great addition to our program, but right now I am unsure who will fill those shoes," added Dickson.
The Lady Spartans fell to both CJ and Fairmont before taking a short break before the championships.
"They were both really strong teams. One of the biggest things for us is we will let our opponent score six or seven points before we get going and by then we are too far behind to catch up," said Dickson.
"Consistency is something we will be working on before our season begins. We will also be practicing a lot on our passes because without good passes we can't set anything up. We are giving the other team a perfect setup because we have to free-ball it to them, to much," Dickson noted.
Valley View played the championship in the St. Charles gym as well, because they fell into the silver pool.
The Spartans' opening game in the tournament was against Oakwood, a league team. The game was intense, as the Spartan ladies took the court determined to win. And they took the first game, but sadly couldn't keep the fire going in the following two games.
"It was nice to be able to play a game with someone in our league," Dickson said. Next week the Lady Spartans' volleyball camp will be held on Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon for seventh and eighth graders and from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. for high school players.
