Sports Roundup — Ryan Ulrich, Sports and News Editor
Girls’ Swim and Dive
The Girls Swim and Dive season would already be an interesting one, as it is the first year for new Head Coach Claudia Schoellkopf. However, the mindset of this season for both the new coach, and team is clear. “As a new head coach, I am looking to grow the team and transition with some of the changes we are implementing in regards to practices,” Schoellkopf said. “We have a very young squad this year, which will mature and grow as we move through the season.” This young squad will surely show promise this year as they continue to grow. However, that has not stopped them from already making a good impression on their new head coach. “The team has really impressed me and the coaching staff in the pool, and in the weight room,” Schoellkopf said. “We had really good times and scores at the opening meet in Williston, so I hope we can build on those, and grow our state team from last year.”
Photo by Nathan Stramer
Photo by Ryan Ulrich
Senior Treys Tietz running past the defense for a big gain.
Senior Keaton Pritchett hitting a solid forehand.
Volleyball
Boys’ Tennis
The girls have started off their season strong, which has brought plenty to look forward to. The promise that the team shows, shines in more than just the stat sheet. “I really like how well we mesh together, and everyone is very competitive and better yet selfless,” Head Coach Anna Folk said. “All our players excel at many different areas.” What is key for the Braves are their returning varsity players from last year. This could help fuel an already promising start, to a bright finish for the team. “We have quite a few varsity returners with lots of experience; Taylor Leingang leading in kills, Sydney Gustavsson in assists, and Piper Harris in digs, but so far we have had three matches, and there has been someone to step up each match,” Folk said. “We have a really strong passing/defensive core, and we have been serving very tough the last few matches, so if we control those aspects of the game, our offense will really take off.”
With losing only two varsity players from last year, the Braves have plenty to build off of. This experience will help the team with achieving their big goals for this season. “I think we learned a lot about several players towards the end of the season that will help us target specific weaknesses to improve on.” Head Coach Paul Christian said. “We want to continue to improve each day, and qualify for state as a team, for the first time in seven years.” With this experience, the Braves have set themselves up with a promising start to the season. One that allows the team to always be able to compete hard on game days. “I’ve been pleased with the performance of the team this far, as we have had some doubles teams really click, which has given us a chance to win every match so far,” Christian said. “We have several styles of players, which can be very helpful when trying to match up with the other teams.”
22
October 2020
Sports
