MOORE — The Southmoore volleyball team has hovered around the .500 mark all season. They head into this weeks action with a 9-10 record.
With the program being in its third year, the problem has been consistency for the SaberCats. After defeating Moore in four sets (14-25, 25-19, 27-25, 25-22) Aug. 31, they lost two straight to Shawnee (3-1) and Christian Heritage (0-3).
“I have nicknamed this team The Roller Coaster team,” Southmoore coach Janet Brannon said. “We’re either up or down at any given point in a match. We were really coming together and becoming more consistent when we had a key player get injured last weekend. Now we’re trying to find that consistency with our starting players for the remainder of the season.”
Part of the inconsistency comes from starting four freshman. But the Southmoore coaching staff have been surprised by the play of several players on the team.
“Jammie Stelle, a third year starter, has been moved from outside hitter to libero,” Brannon said. “She has done an excellent job leading our defense. Amy Serowski, a freshman, has stepped in and leads the offense with the most kills. Kristen Damphousse has definitely stepped up her game and is my steady eddy player on the floor. Truly with four starting freshmen, I have been pleasantly surprised at their ability to compete against more experienced, older players.”
Brannon has relied on the talents of junior Ashley Blake to set the table for the SaberCats offense.
“Ashley is our team captain,” Brannon said. “She has matured and improved her game so much. She has worked hard to become a consistent setter and leader for our team. I have pushed her hard to play with confidence. I expected her to take over the reigns of team captain and lead by example both on and off of the court. She has exceeded my expectations up to this point.”
Southmoore has only one match this week when they travel to Mustang Thursday for a 6 p.m. contest. They do not take the court again until Monday at Norman High.
But Brannon still has expectations she would like to see the team meet the rest of the year.
“I want to see my team continue to strive to compete every play, every point for every win,” Brannon said. “I want to see them play with confidence and most importantly as one unit—like a well oiled machine. They have such great chemistry with each other off of the court, so I want to see them continue to work to implement that chemistry with each other on the court as they compete.”
Michael Kinney 366-3537 Mkinney@mooreamerican.com
