All the Little Things

The OCHS Volleyball Team is working together to improve

Article by Aundrea Koger

When you ask most athletic teams what their goals are for a season, they will often list things such as going to their state competition, winning their league championship, or maybe even winning state.  But on the 2014 OCHS volleyball team they shoot for improving all the little things first.  Now, they do have those larger goals in mind, but they’re working on going back to the basics in order to be the best.

With first-year head coach, Mrs. Amie Lohmeyer, stepping up from being the head junior high coach last year, the Lady Indian volleyball players are going back to the basics on more than just fundamentals this season, as they adjust to the change in coaching.  But they are determined to come back stronger because of this.

“It’s different. There is a lot of adjusting to do,” said senior and varsity setter, Samantha Smith. However, she also noted that they are hoping to win the league tournament, so even with a change in coaching, their goals are not set any lower.  In fact, the OCHS volleyball team has even begun to achieve some of their goals already.  One of the team’s main goals was to play well as a unit, work together, and communicate, and they’ve done exactly that.

“We’ve started to flow better as a team,” noted freshman Whitney Carnell. Lohmeyer agrees also, saying, “I’ve loved seeing them start to ‘gel’ and come together.” And on top of that improvement, the Lady Indians also went from having one of the worst serve-receive scores in the league last season, to one of the best this year. Coach Lohmeyer also noted that the team’s blocking and passing has improved significantly since the start of the year

It’s improvements on the little details like this that will help the team achieve its larger goals at the end of the season.  And the OCHS volleyball team is working hard on bettering those small details.  In fact, they have a poster up in the gym that list statistical goals, such as having a 2.0 passing average, or a 92% serving rate.  However, these goals would not be attainable without one vital aspect of the team.

Every team must have a leader in order to do well, and the OCHS volleyball team is fortunate enough to have not just one, but many.  The senior players especially have taken on the role of leading the team and keeping the atmosphere upbeat. “They really take charge and pump up the team,” noted Smith.  The upperclassmen have really set the tone for the whole team, and been positive role models.  In fact, Carnell commented that at first she was intimidated by the upperclassmen, but now she says that she gets along with them very well.

Great cooperation between both younger and older players, as well as focusing on the smaller aspects of the game, will definitely help the Lady Indians achieve their goals this season.  And the positive attitude amongst the players will make this year not only successful, but also enjoyable, for the Lady Indians.  Coach Lohmeyer couldn’t be happier with how hard her team is working, saying, “They come to practice to work and get better every day, and that makes me proud as a coach.”