CALEDONIA — Elisha Collins was concerned.
On paper, Collins knew the Caledonia High School volleyball team lost key pieces from the 2010 team that advanced to the Mississippi High School Activities Association Division I State Tournament.
Losing a setter like Marlana Dolan is bad enough. But when you factor in other graduation losses like Ashley Dodson and Blaire Ruth along the front line and Macy Hicks and Megan Pratt, it is easy to see why Collins wondered if the Lady Confederates could dream about the postseason in 2011.
“I was a little worried,” Collins said. “I was worried we would not be conditioned and that we would not be able to move around the court and have speed and power in our attacks.”
It didn”t take long for Collins” thinking to change.
Now that the 5-foot-11 1/2 sophomore middle blocker has been practicing with her teammates for a while, she is more confident another trip to the state tournament — and a possible chance to beat Lafayette — is attainable.
“I have seen everybody”s potential and I feel real confident we can go really far,” Collins said. “We”re hitting with power, our serves have been there. It was a major shock. I thought we were going to be younger and we weren”t going to have that ability. But we really worked hard over the summer to improve our ability in all aspects.”
Collins figures to be a key part of that improvement. She played with former Mississippi State volleyball coach Tina Seals Mississippi Juniors club team. The squad features players from Starkville, Tupelo, and West Alabama.
Collins already is one of Caledonia High”s tallest and most athletic players. She said she improved her approach and her spiking as well as her play in the back row and her passing. She credited Seals and Caledonia High coach Samantha Brooks for pushing her to get better.
The return of senior Ashley Langford, who played libero last season, and junior Cara Hopper also figures to bolster Caledonia”s chances of improving on its 15-11 record from 2010. Caledonia lost to Lafayette 3-0 in the first round of the state tournament. It marked the second year in a row Lafayette eliminated Caledonia.
This season, Langford, who will play left side all the way around, feels Caledonia has what it takes to adjust to a lot of big changes.
“I think if we all work hard and do our best we have the potential to do what we did last year,” Langford said. “We”re pulling up some really good players.”
Langford is equally optimistic because she feels many of the returning players improved their conditioning. She said she worked harder than in the past in part because this is her senior year and she wants it to be her best season. She said the time she and Hopper spent with the North Alabama Kraze travel softball team helped them return to volleyball practice in better shape.
Ruth and former Caledonia High player Lindsey Griffin have been helping Brooks at most practices. Caledonia will get a chance to see how things have come together today when it plays Pearl at 4:30 p.m. and Senatobia at 7:30 in the annual Set It Off Challenge in Ridgeland. The two-day tournament features some of the state”s top volleyball teams. Caledonia”s results today will determine its opponents Saturday. Its success will determine how many matches it plays and if it gets a chance to play additional matches for an opportunity to finish in one of the top spots.
Langford said focus will be a key for the Lady Confederates. She said the players have the fundamentals they need to do well and need to develop comparable mental strength to overcome the highs and lows that plague teams in matches and during the season. She said the team has been working on that in the preseason and hopes to put it to use immediately.
“It has helped us block out everything else in our minds,” Langford said.
With players like sophomore Morgan Smith (setter), right-side hitter Stevi Carter, Elizabeth Sheppard, and junior middle blocker Sarah Freeman stepping into bigger roles, Brooks hopes the Lady Confederates can dream high and stay focused. If they do those things, she is optimistic 2011 can be even better than 2010.
“We are reloading,” Brooks said. “We do have a great big freshman class, so eventually they are going to be really good. …There are a few, minor things we are working on (namely hitting the ball in front, serving consistently, and anticipating where the ball is going), but once we get those I think we will be a solid team all the way around.
“I feel all of them love volleyball. They are not out here just to stay in shape. They all love the sport. When they are all here they are all dedicated. … They”re all eager to learn, they give 110 percent on the court, and they are not slackers. I think that is going to be prove to be advantageous.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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