After a disappointing season finishing with a 13-24 record and losing 12 seniors, the Lynx volleyball squad looks to bounce back and sprout under third -year head coach Alyssa Jeffery.
“This newer group of girls feed off of encouragement very well and they hold each other accountable well,” Jeffery said. “The bounceback from all of this is that they know what is expected from them and they know what it looks like to win.”
Coach Jeffery has put them through a lot of work to get here though, as she expects highly of her team.
“Over the summer we got here at 6:15 a.m. to set up nets with practice starting at 6:30,” senior Kamryn Hamilton said. “We would practice for about an hour and half with another hour of lifting to follow. Just a jam packed day for us.”
The Lynx will have many new faces to depend on though, as their leader in digs (Preslie Girres), kills (Hutson Rau) and aces (Aubrey Sandbothe) have all graduated. The Lynx not only lose their leaders in those categories, but also the entirety of the top three in those categories.
Coach Jeffery prepared for this situation though, as she says the team is still in a place to do big things even though they are at a young age.
“During last year, we tried to play with a lot of the seniors playing at that time, while also giving the younger girls a chance to play,” Jeffery said. “Even though the point of a season is always to win and have a winning mindset, you realize as a coach that you have to learn to think about the future as you coach in the present.”
The Lynx volleyball squad start their season at ADM for a quad on Aug. 28 and play their first game at home against fellow Missouri River Conference opponent Bishop Heelan, taking on the Crusaders Sept. 4 and are ready to take on the challenges ahead this season with Lynx Legion support behind them.
“The student section really does hype us up,” senior Jasmine Shields said. “It pumps us up, keeps us engaged and excited while playing the game. Having them there makes us a better team.”
RETURNING LEADERS
Kills – 66 Ellie Bradley JR
Blocks– 51 Ellie Bradley JR
Digs– 185 Kamryn Hamilton SR
Assists– 407 Kamryn Hamilton SR
Aces– 21 Kamryn Hamilton SR
