Volleyball Season Arrives: LG Teams Picked After Two Days of Tryouts
With masks on, coaches just need to yell a little louder.
That was one conclusion that was clear Monday as volleyball practice officially began at La Grange and many other high schools around the state.
“Normally the way I would talk on the court they are not hearing me (with the mask on) so I do have to yell a little louder,” laughed La Grange volleyball coach Leslie Coltrain, during a break amidst workouts Monday.
Clipboard in hand, Coltrain was evaluating players Monday and Tuesday and teams were selected Tuesday afternoon.
Coltrain’s initial impression of the athletes was, “We are rusty,” she said.
“That rustiness is not just in our skills but in our intensity level. It’s still a matter of getting back in the swing of things after the longest spring break ever.”
But Coltrain does have high hopes for this group.
The Lady Leps graduated two seniors (Becca Heinrich and Aly Trlicek) off of last year’s team which went 24-21 and advanced to the second round of the 4A playoffs, knocking off defending state runner-up Needville in the first round. “We have a lot of experience
“We have a lot of experience coming back, girls that have been on varsity for a number of years,” Coltrain said. “We’re getting Maddi Fritz back off injury (she had a big impact early in the season last year as a freshman before suffering a seasonending injury) and adding some new players.”
Among the other varsity returnees who all played big roles last season are: Natalie Blackwell, Megan Brothers, Lanie Doyle, Ashlynn Golan and Ryann Marshall.
Always on the minds of the players and coaches is safety amidst pandemic precautions.
Their schedule has already changed multiple times and Coltrain knows it could continue to change. And there are all sorts of tweaks in games to enhance physical distancing.
“We’re going to have to be flexible, we’re going to have to be patient, we’re going to have to pivot a lot,” Coltrain said. “It’s not going to be normal, although we really want it to be. We’ll adjust and do whatever we have to do to keep playing. We were given a gift to be able to play, so we’re going to be very protective with that gift.”
La Grange scrimmages Friday at Schulenburg before hosting Round Top, Columbus and Weimar in a four-way scrimmage Saturday. Tuesday, Aug. 11, the Lady
Tuesday, Aug. 11, the Lady Leps open the regular season at home against Weimar. The varsities will begin playing about 5 p.m.
• In honor of the late Kyla Drozd, who would have been a senior this season on the Lady Leps volleyball team, the team will wear her initials “KFD” on their travel gear and no one will wear her number 6.