This year, Mrs. Tiffany Heins started coaching middle school volleyball with the help of two other coaches, Todd Schulze and Caroline Wilson. Together they coached a total of twenty-nine middle school volleyball girls. There were nine girls on the A team, ten girls on the B team, and ten girls on the C team.
Earlier in the season, the middle school volleyball team learned rotations, covering the donut on defense, and being more aggressive at the net. The team worked on calling the ball every day to reduce errors out on the court along with working together to know if it was a down ball, a shoot set, a tip, or to have an aggressive swing.
“Getting to play” was most of the players' favorite part, said Mahala Hall. Mrs. Heins and the other two coaches pushed each player every practice to make them better for each game. The athletes made incredible improvements in their skills in addition to a lot of team effort during the practices and games. This allowed them to win multiple games as well as the David City invite.
On the middle school volleyball team all three coaches helped build athletes' skills before they venture into high school. The coaches look forward to not only watching them improve this year, but using their skills on the court in the years to come.
“I loved helping our athletes acquire other skills they can utilize in life through our wins as well as our losses,” said Mrs. Heins. These skills the athletes can use throughout their life include time management, boosting friendships, and building relationships with their peers and adults. Goal setting, leadership, and building self esteem are part of the process as well.
In the end, the middle school volleyball team is like a family. They supported each other through thick and thin. Even when it got hard they didn’t give up. They tried their best every day to get where they are now.