July has been a busy month for the West Prairie and Bushnell-Prairie City High School volleyball squads.
The two teams were in Lewistown on July 18 for a day of competition. The Cyclones and Spartans were joined by Southeastern, Rushville-Industry, Havana and the host team.
Each squad played three matches.
For the Cyclones and coach Drew Snyder, it was their third tournament of the summer.
The Cyclones lost six seniors from last year’s team that finished 20-17.
“I’m already seeing improvement in the girls,” he said. “I’m pretty happy with where we’re at right now.”
“We’ve started to add some more and different components to our offense,” Snyder added. “A lot more back row hitting to get our outside hitters Niah (Zimmerman) and Alyvia (Barkley) a little bit more involved because they are our big-time hitters right now.”
“We’re working to set those back row plays and trying to do some different things defensively that we haven’t done before,” he stated.
Snyder noted that the summer has been “piecemeal” but last week was the team’s first opportunity to have Zimmerman and Barkley on the court together at the same time.
“Those two will be very good for us when they’re out there and when they’re healthy,” he said.
Snyder stated that with only 15 players in the program, the summer has provided them with opportunities to compete and play a lot of different positions.
The team has spent its share of time practicing a day or two before taking to the floor for tournament competition.
He has noticed an improvement. Improvement that he believes will only increase once the regular season settles in.
“Our passing and our ball control is already getting better and our defense is already making improvements,” said Snyder. “When we get more consistent and get in the gym every day, I really expect us to improve.”
Before practices officially start on Aug. 10, Snyder noted the squad will continue to work defensively on being more anticipatory instead of reactionary on the court. He also is aiming to add different layers to the offense and not be so predictable.
Meanwhile, for B-PC and second-year coach Chloe Hickle, there is nowhere to go but up.
The Spartans were winless last season, winning just one set in 27 matches.
“All they’ve needed is a push,” said Hickle. “It’s not like these girls are not athletic by any means. They just have not been coached correctly or pushed.”
“I’ve seen a whole change in these girls,” she added. “Some of these girls seeing club (competition) has really helped them.”
“I just think that two consistent years of pushing them, that’s all they’ve needed,” said Hickle. “If we would’ve been there from freshman year on, we would be way up there with some of these other programs.”
The summer is providing the Spartans with a muchneeded boost of confidence in the form of winning matches.
“I know a lot of them last year said they didn’t know how to win,” said Hickle. “They automatically went into a game thinking that they couldn’t win.” “Now that we have some wins under our belts, I don’t think they’ll go into (matches) thinking that any more,” she added.
While the team lost six players due to graduation, a number of players return for B-PC.
Hickle noted that junior libero Mylee Chenoweth was among those gaining valuable experience.
“She never lets anything drop,” said Hickle. “She’s a big asset.”
But Hickle stated the juniors and seniors “work very well together.”
“I’m very hopeful,” she said. After not playing much last summer, this one has been much busier for the team in terms of tournament competition.
“Summer is what it’s all about,” said Hickle.
“You just can’t have a whole year off and then jump right back into it.”
But she noted that there is much more to playing the sport.
“It’s not just about touching a ball,” said Hickle. “It’s about running, it’s about weightlifting. We’ve been doing the same conditioning during the summer. Just pushing them.”
She has been encouraged by the feedback thus far.
“I’ve heard nothing but positive things,” Hickle said.
The first official day of practice as set by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is Aug. 10.
West Prairie opens its season Aug. 25 hosting Monmouth United, while B-PC opens its season Aug. 24 hosting Biggsville West Central.
