Hays seniors Emily Clark (left) and Kelsea Sadler team up for a block during a workout on Monday. The Lady Rebs will scrimmage at New Braunfels High Friday before opening the season August 9 at LaGrange. (Photo by Jason Gordon)
by JASON GORDON
There was energy in the air during Hays High’s first two-a-day volleyball workout Monday morning.
Both players and coaches alike were excited about the fact the Lady Rebs have plenty of returning varsity talent to mix with younger players that are full of potential.
“It’s really nice to be on the court with everyone again,” said Hays setter Hannah Ramsey. “A lot of us haven’t seen each other most of the summer. It’s going to be a fun year because I really think we can contend for the district title because we have so much talent. It’s up to us now to work hard to get better every day.”
Hays High finished third in tough District 27-4A last season, but senior middle blocker Emily Clark said that isn’t going to be good enough this year.
“I think we have a chance to be dominant,” Clark said. “We have to push each other in practice and during the non-district season to reach our goal of being district champion. It’s a very exciting time to start my last two-a-days as a senior. I think this team is going to surprise a lot of people.”
Kaylea Beck, a senior outside hitter, said she can already tell this Hays team has a lot of chemistry.
“We have a good mix of older players and young talent,” Beck said. “It’s great to be one of the veterans that can teach the younger kids what it’s like on varsity. I can already tell we’re a confident team that’s ready to get the season started.”
Lady Rebel senior defensive specialist Lauren Burke said she could tell her varsity teammates worked hard during the summer.
“We hit the ground running today,” Burke said. “I think we all walked in the door and said, ‘It’s finally here!’ We were all looking forward to two-a-days and are very excited about the upcoming season.”
Hays head coach Erica Walther agreed the Lady Rebels looked sharp on the first day of practice.
“We have a lot of kids that play volleyball all summer long, which is a very good thing,” Walther said. “A lot of their club teams either went to Nationals or AAU Tournaments, which is great experience. A few showed up a little out of shape but we gave them a good conditioning workout in the morning. Overall it was a great first day. I expect big things from my varsity this year.”
The Lady Rebels will jump right into the scrimmage schedule at New Braunfels High on August 5 and at Pflugerville High on August 6, both perennially tough Class 5A programs.
Hays opens the regular season August 9 at LaGrange before heading to the San Antonio Northside ISD Tournament August 12-13.
Hays will be in a pool with San Antonio schools Churchill, Warren and Southside at the Northside ISD Tournament.
