Well this was the first tourney for me in a few years, so I was anxious about going in. I was excited about getting back into the coaching groove, but unsure if the team's preparation was ready for play. Then I thought that there is only way one to find out and that is to play!!
The day started off well with all the players there on time and warming up when I walked in, almost thought it was someone else's team for a moment. In the morning matches, we played other teams that might have been more skilled than ours but we played them close, for the most part. Our struggles in the morning were our lack of energy and our indecisiveness. The players showed me that they were unwilling to take chances in making plays where they might make mistakes. We were reserved in our play which allowed many balls to go unplayed or delayed reactions to the ball. This style of play also showed that we needed more cohesiveness, more trust and communication. We talked about how to make adjustments after pool play and what should be done differently for bracket play.
The time between pool play and bracket was ridiculous, even with a pool having 5. The wait must have been refreshing for us because we came out playing with more effort and energy. The girls were making plays that I have been seeing in practice. They are showed excitement and encouragement when they were playing, which was a major part of the improvement of play. I was very impressed with the transformation that was made from the morning to the afternoon. When we finished the day, we talked about the things that went well and need to work on. All in all, I think it was a good first tourney with great things to come. This team is made up of talented players and they are willing to work hard to improved.
Two players that really stood out to me and Gabby were Britt and Cory. Britt set a 5-1 all day, and I know was tired by the end of the day. She worked hard, improved her communication with the team as the day went along and also improved her decision making on her sets as the day went along. Nice job, Britt. The other player that was impressive was Cory. She played our libero position most of the day and really stepped up her game in the afternoon. She was making her presence known on serve receive and defense. She made plays later in the day that she was holding back on in the morning. She took control of the back row and made it her own, which is exactly what I expect from my libero. Great job, Cory!!
Now on to two weeks more of practice and preparation for Power League. We will be ready! And the bonus, it is in town!
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