Trotters volleyball team wraps up camp

PLAINS – Volleyballs shot from one end of the gym to the other as the Trotters geared up for their upcoming fall season last week.

The Trotters volleyball team took to the gymnasium at Plains High School for the final day of their summer practice camp on the evening of Thursday, July 24.

Sessions of the summer volleyball camp allowed the student athletes to work on their technique before the competition begins with the start of the new semester.

“The main focus of the camp has been serving and passing,” Annawyn Griffin said.

Griffin added the camp ran from Monday through Thursday of last week and was split into morning and evening sessions.

The Trotters ran two-a-day sessions throughout the week, emphasizing fundamentals so the athletes are ready for the start of the season.

“You can’t hit the ball well unless you can pass the ball well,” Griffin said.

Griffin, who formerly coached the Plains eighth grade volleyball team, will debut as head coach of the high school squad this season.

Joining her will be assistant coach Jessica Butcher.

With the coaches working together for the first time the preseason camp offered them a good opportunity to get acquainted with their team.

However, the former eighth grade coach had an opportunity to work with some of the players before they moved onto high school.

“I am familiar with the incoming freshmen and watched the older girls during games, so I have an idea of their strengths and weaknesses,” Griffin said.

The first-year head coach said the four-day camp was broken up into different sections to work on the many facets of the sport.

Morning sessions were split up between setters and hitters, so the two components of the team could work on their particular positions before coming together for joint practices in the evening.

“In the joint practice we try to put everything we worked on together,” Griffin said.

The week of camp also featured a variety of games and challenges to add an element of competition to the practices.

Prizes were awarded to teams, which won these inter-squad competitions.

“A lot of local businesses donated prizes for the camp,” Griffin said.

Practices for the regular season begin on August 15, when the team will begin its preparations for competitive play.

One advantage the Plains girls have going for them heading into the new season is the height of some of the athletes on their team.

“We have some very tall girls that is definitely an advantage on the net,” Griffin said.

Nonetheless, the coach realized though the height of the Plains team is an advantage, the squad still needs to work as a unit to win games in the upcoming season.

“You have to be able to pass the ball to take advantage of the height,” Griffin said.

The evening session of the final day of the camp predominately featured competitive drills emphasizing accuracy and teamwork.

Speaking to the team after one of these drills the head coach emphasized the importance of mental toughness.

“You have to stay in it and stay focused,” Griffin said.