Mineral County volleyball teams compete in Philipsburg tournament

Mineral County girl’s volleyball kicked off this weekend with a tournament in Philipsburg that saw all three county schools competing against teams from throughout the west.

For coaches and players alike, the experience and ability to get an idea of the make-up of the team was far more important than the wins and losses.

“The Philipsburg tournament was a great learning opportunity,” Alberton Head Coach Hannah Anderson said. “Though we did not go as far into the tourney as we wanted, the team worked hard and showed some great teamwork. There were some fabulous plays and some extremely close games.”

Coach Anderson added that the Lady Panthers were able to bring several of the younger players on the squad and the opportunity for them to get varsity minutes was a “great experience.”

“All of the girls did well and had standout moments,” Coach Anderson said. “This tournament was just a glimpse into the great potential this team has. I am very excited for the season.”

A duo of St. Regis Lady Tigers also spoke about the benefits of the tournament in Philipsburg.

“The first games are great because we can get to know everyone’s strengths and weaknesses better in practice,” Gabby Moeller said. “We started off great and we know there is room for improvement – things are only looking up from here.”

Lady Tiger senior Arianna Jones agreed with Moeller that the tournament went “very well” and said although there are things the squad needs to work on she was “very impressed by how we played.”

With the tournament being mainly about focusing on what improvements can be made in practice, both Moeller and Jones said communication was the largest area the Lady Tigers can improve on.

“Everything is smoother when we talk to each other and we are not as chaotic,” Moeller said. “We are going to do great things this season. Our coaches take time to work with us individually on specific areas and continue to prove how important it is to work as a team.”

For players on the young Superior Lady Bobcats, the tournament in Philipsburg went better than expected.

“I am honestly shocked how well we played together, first game jitters seem to always get the best of the team,” Jordan Mueller said. “However, rotation seems to be the hardest first part of volleyball, and I felt we did exceptionally well with such a young team we have.”

Michele Smith, the lone senior on the Superior squad, said that there was a lot the team could improve on but she was “impressed with how we all worked and flowed as a team.”

As far as improvements go, both Mueller and Smith stressed fundamentals as being key to the team’s success as the season progresses.