Trojan Volleyball gaining traction

First year Park Hill volleyball coach Lindsey Hood’s first week didn’t result the way her team would have liked with losses against Liberty and Oak Park. After their first win of the season last Tuesday against St. Joseph Central and winning the consolation bracket in the Winnetonka Tournament this past weekend, the Trojans have stormed back to a 5-5 record and are now looking to build on their momentum as they approach the heart of their schedule in coming weeks.

After a loss last week to Lee’s Summit West, Hood talked about how she is satisfied with the team’s progress up to this point.

“That’s a great team (Lee’s Summit West). I’m not happy with the result, but I’m happy with how we’re coming along,” Hood said. “We just keep working really hard in practice and I think tonight we proved it even though we didn’t take any games.”

The Trojans have a relatively young team overall with six freshmen playing on the junior varsity and varsity levels so they’ve given high importance to taking small steps with each practice and game. At the same time, seniors will play a key role in that improvement with senior Alyssa Moran running the middle with Mary Lou Mixon’s blocking and defensive strengths, Paige Hultz’s back row play, and Ashlea Williams’ utility role as someone who can play a number of different positions on the court.

While Park Hill’s focus is on a strong defense, they know success will require an offensive counter-attack.

“Our defense is looking great, the girls are learning to read hitters better,” Hood said. “That first week, I had to step back and ask whether we had enough offense because our hitters weren’t really connecting as much as I wanted. We’ve incorporated more into our practices now, but we don’t necessarily have a go to hitter yet.”

Next week the Trojans will host their inaugural Dig for a Cure game against Liberty North at Park Hill. The September 21st benefit game will race money for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Foundation and Camp Quality. Proceeds will be raised through t-shirt sales and raffle drawings at the game. The special jerseys that players will wear for the game have been donated.

“That will be a really big game, the girls are really excited,” Hood said. “We still need to treat it like any other game, but it’s an extremely great cause.”