The Innisfail girls senior volleyball team is setting sail on the perilous wave of high school athletics next week.
“Out of the eight teams in our league, two are dropped before they even go to zones,” said coach Jeff Anderson, the athletic director at Innisfail Jr./Sr. High, about his roster's goal to make the cut. “It's just the top teams, and I'd love to do that. We haven't missed it yet, so I want the girls to focus in and do that.”
The Cyclones are coming off a Rocky Mountain House tournament that was held on Nov. 1 and 2. The team placed fifth out of 12 teams in the tourney. The Cyclones are now gearing up for a home game against Camrose at 6 p.m. on Nov. 14.
“For my girls, this year, we're in a situation where we have to win one or both of those to get into zone finals,” he explained. “It's only top six that qualify, and we haven't qualified yet.”
But he added this season has not been without its challenges for the team.
“It was a learning curve this year,” said Anderson. “Our senior setter has moved on this year and she's actually gone to college. She's playing at Red Deer College for the Queens, so our setting position came up for grabs this year.
“Our setting position was up for grabs this year, so if your passing isn't strong and your setting isn't strong, and you've got a whole new group of setters to work with, that whole coming together takes a little bit longer and is a little bit tougher.”
But he's noticed some marked improvements from his team this season, including two practices and a league game on a weekly basis.
“We've had some great success moments and some not so great successes,” he said. “That's what I mean about that consistent playing, it's been a little bit of a roller coaster instead of a consistency, but right now I'm very impressed with the growth they've come to at this point. We've been having a year of inconsistency.
“Our passing hasn't always been strong enough to support the first attack percentage that we need to have in any girls and boys volleyball team. Then you've got weak spots and you can't win those matches in the league play.
Anderson indicated that Deen Lockhat's boys volleyball team has had a successful year too.
“We started off really well but as we faced tougher teams a few cracks started to show,” said Lockhat, the head coach of the boys team whose squad lost a close five-set match at its most recent home on Oct. 30 against the West Central High School Rebels. “We lost 16 – 14 in the last set. It was a very close game.
“We have only two guys that have previous experience,” he added. “The other eight have never played organized volleyball before so it is a very inexperienced new team that has been introduced to the game. In that respect we are doing very well.”
Following the Oct 30 home game the boys team was scheduled on Nov. 4 to play on the road in Sylvan Lake's against H.J Cody but it was cancelled due to the recent snow storm. The game will be made up on Nov. 13 in Sylvan Lake.
The team will then gear up for its big year-end Zone Championship tournament on Nov. 15 and 16 in Stettler, whose high school squad finished first in the league by the end of October.
