Matt Foster
Published: August 23, 2005
The Lady Pirate Volleyball team is hard at work practicing for the upcoming 2005 season. The team that won a Panhandle championship last year, faces a rebuilding year with just four sophomores.
The team began practicing on Aug. 1 and has been hard at work training both on and off the court.
“Our task is two-fold,” Coach Pete Pena said. “Come together as a team on the court is one. Two is coming together as a team off the court also.”
With so many new faces on the roster, Pena believes that the key of any successful team is how they mesh together on and off the court. What will they sacrifice for the team? What will they sacrifice for each other?
With that in mind, a few weeks ago Pena took the team took a two-day retreat to Camp Beckwith in Fairhope, Ala. as a bonding experience.
Pena feels the experience was a success.
“We accomplished more in those two days than any practice could have done,” Pena said. “They work extremely hard and they seem to care very much about each other. I see a lot of characteristics that good teams have to have.”
Learning to communicate is only one of the challenges that the new team will face this year. For the freshmen in particular, there’s a certain psychological aspect to the coming season.
“Many of these kids were the best in high school,” Pena said. “Now they’re being asked to do something different, play different positions. What’s more, they’re freshmen so they’re just now getting accumulated to college.”
Freshman Amie McMillion said she is learning a lot about playing college ball.
“It’s a faster pace than high school and you don’t ever want to mess up,” McMillion said.
If early practices are indication however, the team has nothing to worry about this season.
“I’m very happy with the kids that we have,” Pena said. “I’m extremely happy with the mix that we have. They’re very confident individuals. They’re confident in each other and more importantly they’re a very bright group.
“This is my kind of group.”