Lehman setter Vikki Smith was one of several Lady Lobos who stood out in scrimmage action over the weekend. (Photo by Judy Cooper)
by JASON GORDON
The Lehman Lady Lobos volleyball team entered their first two scrimmages determined to begin 2010 on a positive note.
Despite having only one official practice heading into scrimmages with Westwood and Sharyland high schools, that’s exactly what new varsity head coach Gloria Sandoval’s young squad accomplished.
“We were pretty intimidated against Westwood at first because it seems like all of their players are six-feet tall and we’re a pretty short team,” Sandoval said. “We settled down and started to hold our own against them.”
Things got even better against Sharyland in a format where the Lobos faced each team twice for an hour each time.
“We really played well against Sharyland,” Sandoval said. “We were keeping score and we beat them, which gave our team a lot of confidence.”
Sandoval said standouts in the scrimmage were outside hitter Mariana Filipi, setter Vikki Smith and libero Alex Smith.
“We were very impressed with Mariana, who is an exchange student from Brazil,” she said. “Vikki did an outstanding job setting the ball, and Alex did a great job on the back row.”
The next day, Lehman traveled to Canyon Lake High, where the Lady Lobos scrimmaged the host Lady Hawks, Elgin and Tuloso-Midway.
“It took us awhile to get warmed up again, but once our hitters got in a groove they were really on,” Sandoval said. “We still have some work to do, but that’s what the scrimmages are for. You get to know your teammates and you build chemistry.”
After opening the regular season with a game against Del Valle, the Lady Lobos will play in the Wimberley Invitational Tex-Fest Tournament this weekend.
“We are looking forward to the challenges we will face in Wimberley,” Sandoval said. “It’s definitely a plus to play the tough teams we will face there. We know we will be playing against teams like Smithson Valley and Alamo Heights in a very tough district, so we want to play all the difficult competition we can now to get ready for it. This tournament will be a very good test for us.”
