(Guthrie Center) Barb South takes the helm for ACGC volleyball.
Coach South says they have great talent in their junior and senior class with a lot of younger kids joining in. They want to play proud, work together as a team, and be scrappy. “We want to continue to get better at communication. We don’t want to hesitate when the ball is hit to us. That’s been a key goal the last few days in practice and just a mentality that we can get every ball in play. We want to get in shape and are doing a lot of agilities.”
There’s no doubt the team has a big void to fill with the graduation of All-Stater Chloe Largent, but coach South points out the cupboard isn’t bare. “Mersadez Richter will be a junior and she can hit the ball hard and pretty play anywhere on the floor. We have some younger players that are helping us out at setter. Becca Litller will be a freshman. She’s played some club ball and knows the game well so I’m excited to see her grow with the team. Saige O’Brien is a senior that didn’t get to play much last year because she was injured. She is a good middle hitter and has stood out at camp. Jordan Lemke is an amazing libero. We have her back so we are excited for her strength in covering the floor and Hayden Coffman can also play a key role in that back row.”
Coach South was an assistant last year and now takes over the head coaching role. “They know what to expect from us. We are changing maybe the tempo of practice. We are trying to hone in on some of those skills. We are doing a lot of agility work to help prevent injuries. We have some drills they know. We also have Tara Largent helping us who is amazing and has been with the girls for a few years. A little familiarity along with some slowing down and getting those skills correct.”
The Chargers went 23-13 last year. Their 2022 season starts on August 23rd at Van Meter.
ACGC coach Barb South:
