Kim Raff, Deseret Morning News
Motivated Ravens Find New Ways to Win
by By Amy Donaldson, Deseret Morning News
SANDY— Sometimes the best motivator is a new challenge.
That's exactly what is driving this year's Waterford volleyball team as it tries new, more complicated plays than it has in the past. It made some mistakes in that effort Tuesday night against Juab, but hung on to defeat the Wasps, 25-11, 25-16, 25-22.
"I thought we played a really good first game," said Ravens coach Steve Manning. "The second game we did some stuff that, well, just made us look a little silly. We're trying to run some things that are a little out of the ordinary and it didn't always work."
The failures just push the Ravens onward in their effort to diversify what they can do offensively.
"The new stuff is a little difficult, but it's's fun and it throws the other team off," said freshman middle blocker McKenzie Mitchell. Added teammate Liz Lyon, a junior middle blocker, "We're definitely trying new things, and it gets us pumped up."
Both players seem to think the offensive variety will eventually be to their advantage.
"We hope it catches them off guard," said Lyon, who had a great night serving for the Ravens.
Mitchell and senior middle blocker Julianna Simon also served well and Simon, who is a transfer from Skyline and the catalyst for many of the changes, earned 11 kills in the win.
Manning said he doesn't worry when some of the new plays go awry because the players are loving the learning process.
"They're having fun with it and it's pushing them along," he said. "It might give us a better chance of competing with some of the better teams out there."
One of those is defending region 14 champion North Summit.
"They're solid, and if you don't bring something a little unusual, you probably won't win," he said. "We're still very much a work in progress."
The Wasps made several impressive runs in the match, but couldn't manage to put enough momentum together to take a game from the Ravens. Kaitlyn Durbin, a junior opposite hitter, and Camee Coombs, a sophomore outside hitter, both played well offensively and defensively for the squad. Libero Jessica Stoddard was solid all around and led the scrappy squad in many of those runs with her enthusiasm, effort and near-perfect passing.
"We have a tough team," said first-year coach Dale Marie Eaves. "They work really hard ... Our defense is definitely our strength right now."
The Wasps' goal is to get to state and they're working toward that by improving every time the step on the court.