Elkhart Volleyball 2016
Elkhart Volleyball Looks to Bounce Back in 2016
After Leon, District 18 3A Playoff Seeding Up for Grabs
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
ELKHART – Even though the Elkhart Lady Elks qualified for the volleyball playoffs in 2015, it was a down year by their standards as they finished fourth in district play and got bounced from the playoffs in the first round by the Central Heights Lady Blue Devils.
Coach Alicia Woodell said one of the things that excites her is “… to see her kids achieve things they didn’t think they could. It’s a sport that a lot of kids don’t play as they are growing up. When they learn the new stuff and actually see it in a game, that’s what excites me.”
This year the Lady Elks have three returning seniors as well as three juniors and with the six returners, communication will play a huge role in the team’s success.
“Communication is the key. Our girls have to communicate almost continuously with each other. They have to read where each other will be. They learn that naturally but, but it takes teamwork.”
The returning seniors are Kimber Douglas, Viri Saldana, and Destyni Nays. The three juniors are Holly Crouch, Molly Ormand and Kaitlin Hall. Other players Wooddell said she expects to get key contributions from include Laci McEnturff, Ja’Bria Simmons, McKenna Smith, Makayla Walker, and Naomi Williams.
Asked about the toughest teams the Lady Elks will face in District 18-3A, Coach Woodell said she anticipates tough matchups from Leon and Westwood.
“It’s going to be a strong district. Leon is the one who’s going to give us the biggest challenge. Every team we go up against, we won’t know what they have because this is a new district.”
“We have a strong volleyball program here,” Wooddell added. “The seniors here, every year they’ve played, they have been they’ve been to the playoffs. Our girls look at that and they want to go further than the last group did.”
The Lady Elks have a tough road to hoe this season, but with a solid group of disciplined, returning players, consistency in the coaching staff and strong fan base they should be battle tested as they head into the playoffs in late October/early November.
HOW I SEE IT: The Leon Lady Cougars rolled through the competition on their way to a 2015 State Championship and appear poised for a repeat performance in 2016. Their biggest challenger may well be the Westwood Lady Panthers who finished second to Leon in district last year. The Lady Elks look to move up from their fourth place finish in 2015 and could challenge the Westwood Lady Panthers for second place. Malakoff and Teague both made the playoffs in 2015 and hope to improve on a post-season first round loss.
