As much as the Emporia High volleyball team talks about chemistry, it’s a wonder the whole roster isn’t made up of a team of scientists.
At a recent practice, no word was repeated among the players more often than “chemistry” when referring to the difference between this year’s squad and last season’s team that finished 13-25.
“Our team chemistry is a lot better,” senior Jessica Decker said. “We’ve really grown as a team, and we are really expecting to win a lot more games than last year. We need to win more.”
Added fellow senior Sadie Webb: “I think we all have the same goals this year. We’re just a lot closer than what we have been in the past, and I just think our chemistry is so much better.”
Perhaps a future in a laboratory exists for some of the EHS players, but for now, their focus lies on a court, a net and a ball. It has to be if the Spartans are to make a turnaround this season.
The chemistry the Emporia High players speak of was admittedly non-existent at times last season. During several matches, coach Kendra Bloomquist had to call out her team during timeouts to get it to focus and not let itself dig into an emotional hole.
As Bloomquist put it, last year’s squad lacked the intensity and the on-court togetherness needed to compete in the fast-paced sport of volleyball.
“There’s got to be a higher level of intensity and focus,” Bloomquist said of her expectations for the 2007 season. “We’ve got to value every possession and make solid contact with the ball. Passing is always going to be crucial to the success of any team. We’ve got to develop some players who will terminate plays.
“We have big expectations for this year’s team. They set a goal for themselves that they’d like to win 20 matches this year. To do that — which hasn’t been done the last two years — they’re going to have to do some things that those teams obviously didn’t do, and I think they understand that.”
So how does a team go about creating this improved team chemistry?
Well for one, Decker said, it takes “a lot of communication.”
Throw in a feisty senior class that wants to lead, and you have a potential team-building concoction.
“We’ve got a senior group this year, and they’re very competitive,” Bloomquist said. “This group of seniors has had a lot of success. They only lost one match as freshmen, and have pushed in the sport all three years and into the start of their fourth year. I think they bring a different intensity to the court just in themselves, and now that they’re kind of in charge, I think they’re more comfortable with being in control.”
All five of those seniors — Decker, Ashley Lake, Cali Schelling, Webb and Kylie White — are expected to play major roles for the Spartans this season. Webb appears to have locked down the right-side hitter’s spot, while Decker will look to carry over a strong junior season at outside hitter. Schelling returns as a starter at setter, while Lake returns at middle hitter and White moves up to varsity as an outside hitter.
The Spartans this season will most likely run a 6-2, which means that with six players on the court, two are setters that also serve as hitters. The 6-2 is run as an attempt to get the most blockers/hitters on the front row; however, the setter that starts on the back row cannot jump to attack or block a ball.
With this scheme, Bloomquist said junior Rachelle VanGundy would become the team’s second setter. She also pointed to juniors Taylor Hollond and Ashley Leihsing as two players battling for the other outside hitter’s spot, and also called junior middle hitter Hilary Heinrichs “one of the most impressive players in the preseason.”
Another focus this season has been on creating a more aggressive style of play. EHS hopes to attack from all areas of the court, from the first serve to the final point.
“Coach is having a lot of us doing jump serves this year, so that’s different,” Decker said. “We’ve also worked on hitting as much as we can, even if we have to hit from the back row. We want to get in as many attacks as we can.
“I like it.”
But as all the players stressed, it is all for nothing if the team cannot compete as just that — a team.
“We’re going to have to do the little things right,” Webb said. “We can’t take any plays off. Doing the little things will get you and extra point when we need it.
“It’s all about the chemistry on the court.”
Emporia High gets its season underway at 5 p.m. Sept. 4 when it travels to Washburn Rural. The first home action is the Emporia Invitational at 5 p.m. Sept. 25.