Volleyball team off to fast start at 13-1

By: Noah Hermansen

The women’s volleyball team is stalking the state’s No. 1 ranking in 5A volleyball play, after building a 13-1 record so far this season, with the first loss to Cedar Rapids Kennedy on Sept. 15 at Kennedy.

Head coach Matthew Johnson takes on his second year of coaching this year and has already made an impact toward the success of the Tigers. “I do not feel pressure being ranked because I think our team understands that we have a lot to improve on, and we can just focus on winning the next match we play,” he said. “I think Cedar Falls, Kennedy and Bettendorf are the three best teams in the state, but I think that 5A volleyball is so good there are 15 teams that could make it to State.”

Though Johnson is very confident in his girls this season as they have gotten better from last season, he said they still need some improvements to make the team better overall.

“I think team chemistry is one of our biggest strengths along with our quick offense and solid defense,” senior Emma Gerdes said.

Practice started a little more than a month ago. In the beginning of the season the volleyball girls would have longer practices to get into shape for the season.

Gerdes said the younger girls have really started to show lots of potential and are key factors in the Tigers success. “Younger girls have gotten a lot better, smarter and know what it’s like to play at a varsity level,” she said.

Senior Erin Hendrickson also sees promise in younger team members. “The sophomores have really improved since last year, and since three out of the six starters are sophomores, they are a key part to our teams success,” she said. “Our team needs to work on keeping our energy up so we can be fast on our feet and stay focused.”

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