Veteran St. Regis volleyball team has high hopes
St. Regis freshman Averie Burnham goes high for a return during a recent practice. (Chuck Bandel/Valley Press)
This may be the season St. Regis volleyball fans have been waiting for.
All the returning starters from the 2020 team, which showed solid improvement from the year before, are back for the 2021 campaign.
And the boat loads of spirit and energy that have become a trademark of this group of seniors in particular, are back in fine fashion.
Now the trick will be to turn that into the potential the group has shown for the past two years at least.
The lone senior from last year, Grace King, is gone to graduation.
But five seniors are back, the most the team has had in several years.
High energy senior players Taylor Hurd, Baylee Pruitt, Karmen Alexander and Rylie Burnham are back to spread their infectious energy throughout the gym.
And they will be joined by equally spirited junior Macy Hill and upcoming freshman Averie Burnham as the Lady Tigers prepare for their season opener against Lincoln this Thursday in St. Regis.
“We had 14 players come out and are finally heavy with seniors and the experience they typically bring,” said head coach Jennifer Pruitt. “And equally important these kids are and have been close friends for a long time.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Hill.
“We have fun out there,” she said. “And we are ready to win some matches.”
Pruitt said the team hung out together most of the summer and were in the gym a lot. That is nothing new, really, as the group has been doing the same togetherness thing for several years. This year, they said, it may all pay off.
“We feel with the practicing of skills we have done we are a pretty good team,” Pruitt said. “These kids in some cases have been in school with each other since kindergarten.”
One of the benefits has been improved communication while out on the floor. They say to a player they expect to make it to divisionals this year, a goal which has eluded them the past several years.
“One of the things we realize we have to be better at is being a better finishing team,” Pruitt said. “We can’t be getting out to a lead then handing it back to the other team. Everyone has to have a good attitude that we can be good and I think they do."