The junior varsity Queens volleyball team at St. Augustine Catholic School may not have had the strongest night against the St. Dominic Catholic High School Huskies Tuesday, Sept. 23, but their communication skills are improving greatly.
The Queens were defeated by the Huskies three sets to one, all by narrow margins, but the teams played one last set to finish off the night. Ponoka was able to win that last set.
One of the biggest challenges the team faced was missed calls over who would return the ball or where the ball was being passed to. At times, teammates wouldn’t return the ball because one person thought the other was taking it or two people would try and return the ball.
Assistant coach Katherine Bergum York says the young team, which has some girls from Grade 9, is working out the kinks.
“We have a young team…they’re a little shy, a little cautious right now,” said Bergum York.
Despite these challenges, there were other opportunities that the Ponoka girls took advantage of. In their first winning set, a player served the ball for eight consecutive points before their opponents finally got on the scoreboard.
That point gap was too large for the Huskies to gain momentum and Ponoka won that set. However, a strong united Huskies team made it difficult for the Queens to make much more headway and they lost the next two sets, and the match.
Bergum York says coaches are encouraging the older players to be a positive example.
“We really put the onus on the older girls to be the leaders on the team and to be in the huddle,” she explained.
One of their biggest challenges is hesitation and Bergum York says she and head coach Nicole York are working on players’ aggression and confidence on the court. She said she is excited to see how the girls play over the next few weeks considering this was their first official league game.