MAUPIN – Toward the end of last season, a concussion sidelined Kyrsten Sprouse at the most inopportune time.
With Sprouse on the bench, second-seeded South Wasco County lost two district matches to Dufur and Ione and were eliminated from postseason play.
Looking to atone for last year, Sprouse played on a club team in Madras to further sharpen her skills and help the Lady Redsides get back into the playoff mix.
“It was honestly the toughest thing I have had to deal with. I felt like I was a really big letdown to the team,” Sprouse said. “I have made it a goal to make this my year and to take back what didn’t happen last year. I am trying my hardest to be a team leader and also trying to be an important part of the team, while doing the best that I can.”
From 2015 to 2016, SWC increased its win total from 16 to 20, won four more league matches, garnered six more set wins and jumped from a No. 28 ranking to as high as No. 10 before finishing ranked 16th in the 1A class.
The team also posted 11 sweeps on the year, a bump up from seven in 2015.
Allie Noland was a first-team pick, Jacqueline Noland earned second-team status and both Sprouse and Jada Myers were honorable mention selections to the Big Sky Conference all-league team.
All four of those players return to their starting spots, joining Jenna Wraught, Madisen Davis, Ana Popchock, Reese Millis and Laurynn Davis.
From Day 1, head coach Donna Barton said her team came in with a look in their eyes, ready to execute on the passes, sets and hits, while fine-tuning all the little things that can make a difference.
“People are making solid decisions,” Barton said. “They are cranking the ones that they should crank and when a pass is a little bit off, they are improvising and making the right kinds of shots. But, what we are really doing is not handing over points. We are making good decisions about what to do with the ball. Those are just a few things, but overall, they are doing a lot of things well at this point.”
Last year, the Lady Redsides won six of their first seven matches to start play, five by sweep, and added a Sherman Tournament win to their record.
After a five-set loss to eventual district champion Arlington on Sept. 27, SWC won nine consecutive matches from Sept. 29 to Oct. 15.
The team wound up dropping their final three matches of the season, the last one by sweep to Ione in the Big Sky Conference third-place match.
Allie Noland, one of two seniors on the team, along with Popchock, said the team is putting 2016 in the rearview, as they are bringing in the new season with a greater work ethic and more focus.
“It takes working and flowing together for us to have success on the court,” Allie Noland said. “We also need to talk and make sure everyone knows where they are supposed to be and we are making the passes and the hits that will take us to the next level of the game. If everyone just plays to the best of their abilities and makes sure they are in the right position, then altogether, as a team, we can play a cleaner game and win more.”
Allie Noland finished second on the team with 111 kills on 334 attempts, and a 92 percent serve rate with 69 aces.
Jacqueline Noland notched 55 kills on 195 swing attempts and added 25 aces on her 288 tries.
Myers posted a team-high 140 kills on 421 attempts and dropped 37 aces, and Sprouse had the second-most swings on the team, 347, and dropped 96 kills for a 27.7 percent rate.
For that hitting success to continue, Myers said that the setters and hitters need to be on the same page.
We just have to get our heads in the game and work together as a team,” Myers said. “Once we do that, we kind of flow better together, then we can get our passes to the right spot, so the setter can get it up and we can get our slams down.”
While she is in her final season, Allie Noland knows the program is in good hands with the 20 players on varsity and junior varsity teams.
Before she can think of the future and what lies ahead, she is going to have more of a sense of urgency to accomplish her goals.
“This is my final shot for us to get as far as we can,” Allie Noland said. “It puts more on the line knowing that this is our last year. We all have good chemistry on the court and we are practicing hard every single day this year, so that has me really excited for the season.”
After this weekend’s 1A Season Preview Tournament, the Lady Redsides make a trip to Bend on Friday, Sept. 1, with matches against Trinity Lutheran (11 a.m.) and Crosshill Christian (1 p.m.)
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