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Seniors loom large for GCHS volleyball
Published 8/29/2008 in Sports : GCHS
By JASON ELMQUIST
jelmquist@gctelegram.com
Coaches typically cringe and try to save face whenever they find out one of their players has made a bold prediction.
But in the case of the Garden City High School volleyball team, coach Melissa Savolt actually agrees with the words of one of her seniors.
"We're going to win the WAC, never lose at home and go to state," GCHS senior Kelsey Stimatze said with a grin before Thursday's practice in The Garden.
Savolt's response to Stimatze's "State or Bust" type comment?
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Laurie Sisk/Telegram Garden City libero Lexi Parr returns a serve during a match against Holcomb earlier this season. The Lady Buffs will host the WAC Championship on Saturday at The Garden.
"That's kind of where we're at actually," the GCHS coach said. "There's going to be a lot of disappointed girls that have put in a lot of time -- not only from the summer to now, but the last three years working up to this point in their career. This would just be outstanding for our program to go to state. ... We're sitting in a pretty good place right now, so we're going to do every single thing we can to get there."
And it's all going to start with Savolt's top three returning seniors: Stimatze, Marisela Rodriguez and Ashley Hahn.
"Ashley, Marisela and Kelsey are going to be somewhat of the cornerstone of our group because they've been three-year varsity players and have the most experience," Savolt said. "They've really bought into the program and know what the expectations are and what it's going to take to be good. They're not only going to be leaders by example, but vocally. They're just going to do a good job of keeping us a team."
Stimatze said team unity was something that was lacking from last year's squad. And a lot of that had to do with poor senior leadership.
"We just need strong leadership. We had absolutely none last year," the senior libero said. "We have four seniors and we're all strong leaders on the court. We all set by example. I think that's going to be a big difference, because we had no leadership last year."
The trio of seniors have not only embraced the opportunity to lead the squad, but Savolt said it's roots go back to their junior year.
"They kind of even wanted that role last year, but weren't sure how to step into that role not being a senior without stepping on toes," Savolt said. "I even talked to them a lot during last season that it doesn't matter who it comes from, as long as it comes from somebody. There was just a little bit of uncertainty there and we didn't have much leadership. I think that was part of why we never really got in sync and once we did, we couldn't stay in sync."
Helping keep Stimatze, Rodriguez and Hahn stay in sync with one another is the fact that they've been playing along side each other since their freshman year.
"When I'm beside one of those girls, I know what I need to go for or what they're going to get," Hahn said. "Playing with new players you don't know if they have it or if they don't. But whenever you're with the people you've been playing with, you know exactly what they're going to get and what you're going to get."
The one thing the Buffs get from Rodriguez and some of the newer girls is their height.
"Definitely the tallest and most athletic I've had in my 12 years here," Savolt said. "A 6-3 girl (Rodriguez), a 6-foot girl and two that are right at 5-10, so we're hoping we'll come up against some teams that (the height) might even be an intimidating factor before we even get to the match. And not only are they tall, they move really well and are just pretty versatile players."
Though they have the height, Savolt said the front row is the position she's really concerned with.
"We are just passing on the money. We have probably three of the best (defensive specialists) that we'll see of any team this year," Savolt said. "So, as long as our front row can take care of business, we're going to be hard to stop."
The Buffaloes open their season Tuesday at Campus before hosting a quad with Holcomb, Newton and Great Bend.
"Right off the bat we're going to see how tough we are," Savolt said. "Athletically, and on the court, they've got what it takes. But we just need to see if they've got the mind that goes along with it and if they can handle the pressure of the expectations and the kind of schedule that we play with."
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