Lady Chargers looking for strong push down the stretch

Lady Chargers looking for strong push down the stretch

KERRY BARBOZA Sports Editor

First-year Champion volleyball coach Kelly McDaniel and the rest of the team are facing a tough stretch of district matches ahead but McDaniel said she likes how her team is playing as they approach the make-or-break part of their season.

Champion is 2-2 in 26-5A and visited Pieper Friday. They’ll be at Smithson Valley Tuesday and close out the first round of district against Kerrville next Friday.

“I think we’ve finally come to the point where we’re playing consistently and cleaning things up. I’ve changed a couple of things up and people are stepping up and doing their jobs right now,” McDaniel said. “It’s going to take consistency and finding what’s working.”

A look at the district

Included in 26-5A is Champion, Veterans Memorial, Seguin, New Braunfels Canyon, Wagner, Pieper, Smithson Valley and Kerrville Tivy.

“Texas Volleyball Insider says three of our district teams are in the top 20 in the state so we’re excited to be the underdogs at this point. We’re in such a tough district, so let’s catch someone off guard,” McDaniel said. “We hope to do it but we’re hoping to play our best. We’re going to have to surprise the heck out of some people but we have an awesome opportunity because we play teams twice.”

With 14 district matches and three state-ranked teams in 26-5A, McDaniel said 7-7 would get a team a chance at a play-in game.

“A 7-7 record would probably mean some ties,” she said.

McDaniel said their loss to Seguin and NB Canyon were tough.

“In Seguin we played frantic and realized our energy wasn’t working and bounced back the next day and they were motivated and ready to go,” she said. “Against Canyon, we were happy with some of the things we did and the energy that we kept but not happy with the outcome. It’s going to take a couple of fixes and clean ups the next time we see them.”

A look at the team

On this year’s team is Azteca Crawford, Erin Martin, Ryann Michalec, Taylor Fenton, Cameryn Seaux, Ella Coleman, Raylynn Pitts, Hailey Cuellar, Cassidy Breuer, Samantha Calderon, Addy Schiffelbein, Briley Wolff and Brielle Boothe.

Martin, Michalec, Seaux and Pitts are seniors but McDaniel still calls this year’s team “young.”

“They graduated nine seniors last year and so it really does feel like a whole new team,” she said. “We’ve only got two or three returners from last year, so for everybody else it’s their first experience at this level. The inexperience kind of shows here and there but they’re stepping up to the plate.”

Champion’s first-year coach said the girls have been great to work with and have accepted whatever changes she’s made to the program without hesitation.

“In no way have they been resistant, these girls have bought in from Day 1,” she said. “We’ve come to a mutual agreement of where we want to go, what we can do and we’re believing in ourselves.”