Shelbi Schultz sets the ball for a play during the first scrimmage of the season.
The Lady Wave volleyball team kicks off its season Thursday with a home game against the North Valleys Lady Panthers.
This year’s team is full of upperclassmen. There are no freshmen and only three sophomores, Karlee Hitchcock, Kinsli Rogne and Ashley Agaman. Representing the juniors are Taylor Ingram, Journey Martin, Lorynn Fagg, Shelbi Shultz and Rylee Buckmaster. Rounding out the team are seniors Gracy Lisanti, Jordan Beyer, Faith Cornmesser, Elizabeth Williams and Macie Anderson.
One big change this season is in experience; despite the older team, many of this year’s players are fairly new to varsity.
“Last year’s team was definitely a lot stronger and we had size,” Fagg said. “This year, it’s a brand new team basically. We have to keep positive and keep pushing.”
Coach Patty Daum said there are only three players returning from last year’s squad and everyone else is either new or was brought up from junior varsity.
“We’re really young and we’re trying to work on being smarter,” Anderson said.
The coach added everyone is learning quickly, and accepts each challenge they encounter.
“I love the way they are learning,” she said.
The players are also confident of their skills. Anderson said they may lack power hitters, but they hope to make up for it with strategy and outthinking the opposition. Martin agreed.
“We’re doing a lot of defensive drills, trying to focus on defense,” she said. “We’re relying on placement and not power.”
The players already have a good relationship with one another as well. Anderson said none of them have egos and they play like they’re a single entity. None of them play for their own glory.
“This is a very unselfish team,” Daum said. “They would rather give credit to someone else.”
The Wave has its first game Thursday at 6 p.m., starting the regular season.
Daum said her hope is for Fallon to finish in the top three of the region. She said projections estimate they will finish just above Sparks.