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Friday, August 1, 2008
Volleyball Preview
Central Oklahoma, OK
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Everything you need to know about the upcoming volleyball season
Power Swing
You don’t want to be in front of these players when they hammer a kill:
Tyler Henderson, Heritage Hall – She is the most explosive offensive player in the state. She has great leaping ability and hits the ball with great power.
Morgan Roy, Bishop McGuinness – The senior is the second hardest hitter in the state behind Tyler Henderson. Roy carries her team with her leadership and point production.
Constance Ezugha, Edmond Santa Fe – The defending Class 6A state high jump champion uses her great leaping ability to get high off the ground and slam down kills.
Adrienne Totoro, Heritage Hall – The middle hitter is known more for her accurate shots than her power, but she can put some heat behind her shots as well.
Taylor Brown, Norman – The three-year starter is the main offensive threat as the outside hitter for the Tigers. She’s also good at getting digs.
Sarah Horn, Edmond Memorial – The senior has started since she was a freshman. She provides a hard hitting presence on the outside and leadership.
Setting it up
These players are the point guards on the court. They know how to distribute the ball:
Emily Cobbs, Edmond North – She is the best setter in the state. She knows how to deliver the ball to her hitters, and is the big reason the Huskies are a favorite to win the 6A title this year.
Micha Hancock, Edmond Memorial – A versatile player who is one of the best hitters and setters in the state. The lefty can be moved around, but will most likely be the setter for the Bulldogs.
Katie Harris, Bishop McGuinness – She knows how to distribute the ball around to some very talented hitters for the Fighting Irish.
Amy Kangas, Stillwater – The three-year starter has been a part of three state tournaments. She provides steady play, leadership and a good offensive attack.
Back at You
These players get defensive, blocking the ball and getting digs better than anybody:
Amanda Ayers, Edmond Memorial – It’s hard to get a ball past Ayers, who can dig and block a shot anywhere on the court.
Jessica Adams, Heritage Hall – The senior is the defensive stopper for the Chargers. She teams up with Carissa Villaflor to form the most dominant defensive duo in the state.
Mindy Gowens, Edmond Santa Fe – Her quickness and anticipation is what makes Gowens special on defense. She knows how to start rallies.
Caitlin Rother, Clinton – Rother is an athletic player who does it all for Clinton. She can hit, serve and defend well. She’s also a standout tennis player.
Up and Comers
Expect to hear a lot about these unknown players this year:
Tate Hardaker, Edmond Santa Fe – The junior outside hitter will be counted on a lot this year to score some kills after the Wolves lost several talented hitters from a year ago.
Tori Cox, Putnam City – Cox started as a 14-year-old freshman a year ago. She had coaches buzzing about her talents. Now she’s a 6-foot, 2-ich hard hitter.
Brooke Bogert, Heritage Hall – The junior setter has a lot of weapons at her disposal. Expect her to collect a lot of assists.
Torrie Flynn, Edmond North – She’s coming up from junior varsity to supply the Huskies with some offensive punch. She is to hit the ball hard.
The Teams to Watch
These are the top five teams in the area:
1. Heritage Hall – The Chargers are possibly the best team in the state, regardless of class. They have won three straight Class 4A state titles and feature the best player in the state in senior outside hitter Tyler Henderson. They have a good offense, defense and passing game.
2. Edmond North – The Huskies return the most talent of the Edmond teams. They also have an advantage because they return their setter, the best one in the state in Emily Cobb. She has a strong hitter to service to in outside hitter Ashley Albert.
3. Edmond Santa Fe – The Wolves return three starters from the 6A runner-up team from a year ago. They will count heavily on a pair of seniors, offensively with outside hitter Constance Ezugha, and defensively with Mindy Gowens.
4. Edmond Memorial – The defending 6A state champions lost a lot from last year’s title team (six seniors). But the Bulldogs still return outside hitter Sarah Horn, the leader on the court, and super sophomore Micha Hancock.
5. Bishop McGuinness – The Fighting Irish return two seniors from last year’s 5A runner-up finish. One of them is hard hitting Morgan Roy. They also have several talented players who can pass and set the ball to create mismatches.
Watch Out
These teams could surprise this year:
Stillwater – The Pioneers have made the 6A state tournament the last five years. But this could be the year they break through with an impressive year and state tournament. Stillwater returns everyone from last year, including outside hitter Mikka Mattox.
Clinton – The Red Tornadoes made their first state tournament in school history last year in 4A. This year, they have a tougher schedule to prepare for a run at the state tournament and have the athleticism of Caitlin Rother.
Norman – The Tigers started strong last year and swept their rivals Norman North. They look to build on that, along with relying on the talents of hard hitting Taylor Brown.
Carl Albert – The Titans have a new coach, but return several talented players on a team that made the 5A state tournament last year, their first trip in school history. They have the talents of Sallie McLaurin and Brittni Walker.
Putnam City – The Pirates are a good, young team led by a majority of sophomores and juniors. They have just one senior. Putnam City has strong hitters in Tori Cox and Danielle Brown.
Dates to Remember
Aug. 25 – Edmond North at Heritage Hall
Sept. 2 – Edmond Santa Fe and Edmond Memorial each play against Bishop Kelley at Edmond Memorial.
Sept. 9 – All Edmond Triangular at Edmond Memorial (features all three Edmond teams).
Sept. 12-13 – Santa Fe Tournament. It features six of the eight best teams in 6A, along with Bishop McGuinness.
Sept. 16 – A triangular between Heritage Hall, Bishop McGuinness and Edmond Memorial at Heritage Hall.
Sept. 23 – Edmond Santa Fe at Heritage Hall
Sept. 26 – Norman at Norman North
Oct. 7 -- Norman North at Norman
Oct. 10-11 – Class 4A state championship at Edmond Santa Fe
Oct. 17-18 – Class 5A state championship (at Choctaw on Oct. 17) (at Moore on Oct. 18).
Oct. 17-18 – Class 6A state championship at Moore
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