The Tioga Lady Bulldogs volleyball team is off to a hot start under first-year head coach Trevin Robinson, with a record of 18-6 through the nondistrict portion of the season.
The Lady Bulldogs fell to Leonard 24-2 in their most recent match Sept. 5, but the Lady Bulldogs have won six of their last eight games, winning three in a row prior to the match with the Lady Tigers.
“We’ve done a really good job of getting out early and competing,” Robinson said. “We’ve had a tougher nondistrict schedule, but it’s a big deal for us to come out and try to get some of those big wins that can prepare us for that long-distance run, hopefully, where we can get into playoffs.”
Robinson has made major changes to the Lady Bulldogs’ play style, and he said having multiple experienced starters back, including top scorers Kennedy Slay and Kyndall Whitley, has helped the team get comfortable with the systems on both sides of the ball.
“The positive from that aspect of it is they’ve all done it before,” he said. “It’s easier to change minor things here and there when they’ve done it before, so offensively every game we come into trying to win the serve and serve-receive game. … And we’re not worried about how we find that big kill. We’ve done it already a million times in practice. Instead, we say, ‘Let’s go find our best matchup,’ so our setters are hunting for that when we get in a tough spot, so that all our hitters have to do is put the [ball] down.”
Sophomore setter Sadie Bates, who leads the team with 281 assists, said the team’s growth and the new defensive system have helped the Lady Bulldogs’ offense run smoothly.
“Our mental and physical status on the court as a team has changed a lot from last year,” she said. “… This year, we regroup instead of getting down, and that helps a lot. We’ve also changed the defense, so instead of me getting the line balls, we already have someone there, so I have more options to set the ball, but our back row is doing really well at getting to the ball, and we have hitters who can slam the ball down, which makes me look good as a setter.”
Robinson also spoke highly of Lady Bulldogs junior setter Ella Norwood, who is second in assists with 219 and second in blocks with 24.
“She has it really tough because setting is hard, and as soon as she’s done setting, she has to say, ‘Let’s go block their best hitter,’” he said. “She’s got a really tough job, but she’s done a great job of buying into it and being an all-around great teammate and a really good athlete for us.”
The new defensive system features a flexible, rotational defense focused on turning defense into instant offense for the Lady Bulldogs, and senior libero and defensive specialist Kenzee Powers said the new approach is already paying off.
“It’s a whole new ball game because we were used to staying in our box rather than exploring outside of it, … [but] it’s helped a lot in the sense that now we’re able to be where the ball is hit the majority of the time,” she said. “We’re covering more ground rather than just saying it’s your lane, and everyone has their certain spot. Now we work better together on knowing whose ball it is.”
Senior middle blocker Madison McDonald, who is one of the team’s two seniors, added that the team’s chemistry has been a big difference for the Lady Bulldogs.
“We’re always trying to encourage and lift everyone up,” she said. “We treat each other how we want to be treated and try to set a good example for each other, so even if we’re behind, whether we’re on the court or on the sidelines, we’re always encouraging each other and not letting anyone get down.”
Robinson said that the remaining nondistrict games could provide an excellent opportunity for the Lady Bulldogs to continue to gain experience before they start their district schedule against the Trenton Lady Tigers on Sept. 23.
“We are focused on finding and playing the best teams we can to make sure we’re playing at a high level,” he said. “The goal is to compete for a district championship, and I think that’s going to be the goal of all six teams in the district. They’re all coming in ready to compete, so these next two weeks, we have to go as hard as we possibly can to get ready for that first game.”
The Tioga Lady Bulldogs will be back on the court for a home game against Alvord at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
