UNA satellite camp gets BHS volleyball ‘off to an exciting start’

by Bart Moss for the FCT

The volleyball program at Belgreen is growing and enjoying success under the leadership of Teresa Whitten. Fresh off an area championship, Whitten is seeing more girls getting interested in joining the volleyball program and learning the game.

“Building a program from the ground up is hard,” said Whitten, who is in the fourth year of the program’s five-year existence. “The girls are excited to get started with summer practice, and we look forward to competing for another area championship next year and hopefully going farther.”

One thing Whitten does to get the summer workouts off to an exciting start is invite the University of North Alabama to Belgreen to conduct a satellite team camp.

“The girls really like for UNA to come here,” said Whitten. “They bring their coaching staff and a couple of their players, and they really get after it.”

UNA volleyball coach Stephanie Radecki said they do about six or seven of these camps a year, including their camp on campus.  The focus is on fundamental skills and game-like practice.

“First we like to establish a base of fundamental skills,” said Radecki. “But we like to practice like we play. That is the key to success.”

Radecki has been coming to Belgreen each summer for the past four years, and she can see the program is making strides.

“More girls are getting interested,” said Radecki. “That comes from having a good coach and having success on the court. They are getting more comfortable with the game as they learn the basics and have some success.”

Belgreen will have the core of its team returning for the 2015 season.