(Oakland) Riverside volleyball coach Brooke Flathers is expecting big things from her senior laden group this year. The Lady Dawgs lost only one senior from a team that won 23 matches last season.
Winning the Western Iowa Conference is one of the main goals for this experienced squad. “Our goal is to win the conference. You might as well play to win the whole thing, right? Us and Underwood and Missouri Valley return the most and then everybody else is going to be competitive. Treynor, Tri-Center all have athletic kids. It’ll be a fun season for the WIC.”
A strong senior class has the team optimistic. “My seniors have been really strong leaders for us so far this summer. They’ve been dealing with helping build this program for the last four years so they are really ready. Lili McCready, Madi Baldwin, Veronica Andrusyshyn, and Mack Olmstead-Mitchell. They are all ready to go. Very dedicated to the program and have been working hard.”
Veronica Andrusyshyn posted 320 kills last season while Ayla Richardson led the team in assists with 545. Libero Madi Baldwin returns after posting 297 digs last year. In addition to the strong senior class and Richardson returning at setter, Flathers lists Elyssa Amdor, Elly Henderson, and Sophia Taylor as key prospects. “We are very excited. We’ve been looking forward to it for a really long time now so we are ready. Defensively we’ve been making a lot of strides in the offseason. Carly Henderson is another one for us that’s really stepped up. We’ve been working on a faster paced defense and offense and trying to control our side of the court.”
They’ve been putting in the time and are excited to see that extra effort pay off. “A big focus for us has been getting one day better. We are taking it one day, one match, one point at a time and just getting better in every rep that we can. The volleyball girls were really dedicated to being in the weight room and out on the track for weights and conditioning this summer and that’s going to give us a big jump as we start preseason. We spent a lot of time in the gym and went to different camps and the girls have really done a good job for us.”
Riverside starts the season August 23rd with a triangular involving Essex and Bedford.
Riverside coach Brooke Flathers:
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