Jamie Mountain
It’s been a challenge, to say the least, for the Muskie senior girls’ volleyball team so far this NorWOSSA season.
Fielding a team with only 10 players on the roster is tough enough–and recent injuries have made things even muddier.
But coach Duane Roen has been pleased with the effort his short-handed squad has given so far in compiling a 3-2 record through five games of the eight-game campaign.
“[They are a] great bunch of athletes,” Roen enthused. “Very coachable.
“And [they] believe in the program and are beginning to see what this team is capable of–placing second and third with only seven players in our two tournaments to date and our 3-2 NorWOSSA record,” he noted.
As the season heads towards the playoffs, Roen has some areas in mind that he would like the team to be aware of and improve on, including dealing with injuries and struggling with the mental part of the game due to frustration over performance and fatigue.
“Consistency throughout the sets needs to be improved, [as well as] overall stamina for the full five sets,” he stressed.
“[We need to] minimize injuries and stick to the game plan.”
The squad was scheduled to be in Kenora yesterday to face the Broncos but the match was postponed due to bad weather.
The Muskies are slated to host them again tomorrow afternoon at Fort High.
“They [Kenora] are well-coached and we need to simply stay healthy, remain relaxed, and learn how to deal with difficulties quickly as they arise,” Roen said about the matches against the Broncos.
The black-and-gold then will head to Thunder Bay this weekend for a 20-team exhibition tournament.
The junior squad, whose return to NorWOSSA action yesterday against the Broncos also was cancelled, are slated to host Kenora tomorrow.
Having compiled a 4-1 record so far in regular-season play, coach Bob Kowal has been pleased with the effort put forth thus far.
“I am very proud of the direction the team is taking,” he enthused.
“We have some very clear roles and expectations for the kids, and they are embracing their roles.
“We have considerable depth in all positions and many players are able to play multiple positions, if necessary,” Kowal added.
“Practice performance has improved drastically since the beginning of the year and we’re definitely trending in the right direction.
“We have been successful in both competitive tournaments this year–winning them, of course–[and] we are very confident we’ll have similar success in the final tournament of the year in Thunder Bay, as well,” he enthused.
Heading into the stretch run of the season, Kowal has an idea of some areas he would like the squad to improve upon.
“As a junior team, all the players can improve aspects of their games in all areas, but we’re happy where we are at for the most part,” he remarked.
“We have been working hard to refine our attack, especially from the middle, and we’ve worked extensively on running a quick offence in practice.
“But now we’ll need the kids to put practice into actual game play,” Kowal stressed.
“If they are able to accomplish this, then I think we will bring another dimension to our game that teams will have a very difficult time adjusting to.
“We have three league games and a tournament to bring this altogether before the NorWOSSA playoffs, and I think those are reasonable timelines to make this happen,” he said.
As for the types of challenges he believes the Broncos would provide this week, Kowal lauded how well-rounded Kenora has become.
“Beaver Brae has really improved their game as they pass and defend really well,” he noted, stressing “we’ll need to do the same.”
“I believe our team is extremely good at passing and playing defence,” added Kowal.
“Our biggest advantage will be our ability to attack the ball, as all of our players are able to put the ball away at any given moment–so it’s hard to defend us.
“We have improved our game-planning for big games,” he noted. “We’re definitely putting our best players in situations where their skills could expose other teams weaknesses.
“We will continue to ensure we’ll use our strengths against areas of vulnerability that teams may have,” Kowal vowed.
