RHS nets new faces for volleyball
By Alison James
alison.james@fct.wpengine.com
Russellville’s volleyball season sees its first game Aug. 28 at Haleyville, but student athletes have spent the summer practicing and conditioning.
“It’s going to be a rebuilding year because we graduated so many last year,” said Coach Charlotte Dollar, who returns only three seniors from last year’s varsity team. Several will move up from JV to round out the team, and three join the team as new additions.
“We’re hoping this team will play a couple of games and get going and step right back in there. We’d like to go to regionals again this year,” Dollar said.
Patricia Borden, senior, middle hitter; Megan Brockway, senior, outside hitter; and Emaree Willis, senior, setter, are Dollar’s returning players.
“The three who are returning will have to step up and be leaders and gel the new ones together,” said Dollar, who cited learning to play together as the varsity team’s primary challenge.
Other challenges facing the team will include acclimated the younger players to varsity gameplay, which is more fast paced than JV.
Dollar said she has already seen improvements in the team since the beginning of the summer. Team members have faced workouts three days a week and practices two days a week all summer.
“We lost some really good hitters, so we’re going to be not as strong as hitting as we were last year,” Dollar said. “We should have good setting.”
Last year was the first time for the team to make it to regionals in years. Dollar said her team has their eyes on the prize to make it that far – and farther – this year. Brockway and Borden have both stepped up already in terms of leadership, Dollar added. Dollar said she has moved some players from the positions they have played in the past, which will be an adjustment for them.
The first game is Aug. 28 at Haleyville. Region games will be Sept. 8 away versus Farview; Sept. 15 at home versus West Point; and Sept. 29 at home versus Lawrence County.
“Coach Dollar is one of the hardest-working, dedicated, most organized coaches,” said JV coach/assistant varsity coach Gayla Mills. “She’s always working hard. All of us work well together, and it’s because of her leadership.”
