Lady Trojans open up 2020 season next week in Townsend

The Whitehall High School volleyball team will return a wealth of varsity experience when they open the season September 3 at Townsend.

The Lady Trojans will welcome back three seniors with Meagan Johnson, Kendra Klapan, and Dalaney Scafani all returning for their final year with the program. Other key returners for the team include juniors Haley Briggs and Brynna Wolfe, and sophomore Maxine Hoagland. Incoming freshman Charity Nieskens and Lindsay Briggs will also return after playing on last year's team as eighth-graders.

Looking towards the opener, second-year head coach Kyla Simon expects the team to play hard, do a lot of good things, but to all make a lot of 'good' mistakes.

"The beginning of the season is for working hard and improving and not being perfect while finding what works. We are hungry for some wins this season, but our ultimate goal is to be playing our best volleyball at the end of October," she said.

While the team had to cancel their annual camp as well as a 4 on 4 league this summer, they were able to host open gyms.

"We were also able to scrimmage with Harrison a couple of times, but that was shut down as well. We are grateful for the time we did get to be in the gym, and we have been excited to carry that through to pre-season. We are currently in the midst of two a days and I am so pleased with what I have seen so far. We have a group that is competitive and that is going to work hard this season," Simon said.

Whitehall had to alter its schedule earlier this month when the Jefferson County Health Department issued an order preventing them from playing out of conference.

Simon was surprised by the news of the cancellation of non-conference games, especially early season tournaments.

"I love going to all-day tournaments, especially early in the season because you have a full day of games to get used to a rotation, or to change a rotation, or to change a lineup without fear of affecting your season win-loss record. The tournaments we went to last year were so good for us as a team, not because we won every game, but because I saw improvement and positive progression in just a few hours," she said. "We were able to create chemistry and rhythm and to try new things and take risks without fear. Games are the best practice. Losing is part of learning and playing, and the tournaments and non-conference games allow space for that."

Despite the absence of a non-conference schedule, Simon said the team's goals have not changed and this is something they will hold on to and use as motivation.

"We are going to make it a point to play at game-speed and game-intensity during our practices. The season is really going to come down to our supporting cast stepping up to the plate to give us the competition in practice that we will miss out on this season. Each and every young lady on this team will have a responsibility to make their teammates better, more confident, and resilient every single day. It is a lot to ask of middle school and high school girls during a year where students have been through so much already, but if any group can rise to the occasion, It's this one. We are taking this as an opportunity to grow both as a team and as individuals," she said.

Among the goals for the 2020 Lady Trojans are speeding up the offense significantly and implementing multiple defensive schemes.

"With more experience comes more options. I am excited to keep improving and progressing to reach these goals

Whitehall will be on the road for game two with a September 5 matchup at Big Timber.

Their home opener is September 8 against Manhattan.