Volleyball: Increase in chemistry a key in potential playoff run for Lewisville

Through 11 matches, Lewisville first-year volleyball coach Libby Rodriguez has seen enough talent and athleticism to be optimistic about the Lady Farmers prospects for success.

The question early on has been how quickly will the club gain the chemistry and experience to vie for a playoff spot in the highly-competitive District 5-5A.

Thus far, the Lady Farmers have compiled a 4-7 record, picking up wins against Frisco Liberty (25-20, 25-20), Irving Nimitz (26-24, 25-15), Woodrow Wilson (25-9, 25-17) and Duncanville (25-17, 25-22). The team suffered defeat Tuesday against McKinney Boyd (25-11, 25-12, 25-12) and also have losses this season against Naaman Forest, Frisco, Frisco Wakeland, Frisco Centennial, Frisco Heritage and Justin Northwest.

"We had a tough match Tuesday against Boyd," Rodriguez said. "We didn't really play to our potential but I thought the whole past week we've played better than what the score showed. I think we were a little tired mentally. The girls have been playing and working really hard since August and maybe it caught up to them a little bit."

Early on, a team that returned just three varsity players is seeking to find its rhythm.

"We're focusing on being disciplined in every spot," Rodriguez said. "We need to increase our communication and have our players in the right spots. We're going to be, and have been, very hard workers this season and I think [chemistry] will come with more repetitions. Right now, I'm pretty pleased with what I have seen and I'm excited to see the progress we make in the next three weeks."

Key returnees for Lewisville are setter Kristyn Nicholson, outside hitter Ellaina Bailey and middle blocker Portia Okafor.

Joining Okafor in the middle are Madison Maynard and Diana Ekechukwu.

"They've done a good job so far," Rodriguez said. "The biggest thing for our middles right now is just getting them to play quicker. But they do a good job on defense - especially Portia because she is so tall - and also have the ability to contribute on offense."

Outside hitters are Bailey, Lyandria Taylor and Caitlin Gulyas.

"Caitlin has been our primary option but that could change," Rodriguez said. "They're all playing well in practice and are earning their positions. There have also been changes in how things used to run. We're working on changing the mental approach of our attackers and improving chemistry and making sure everyone knows their assignment."

Rounding out the attackers are right side players Jayle Brooks and Lauryn Matthews.

"Lauryn is starting but they're both doing a great job," Rodriguez said. "And all of our players on the front are versatile and can play different spots well. The only one that doesn't really change is Portia because of her height in the middle."

Nicholson returns at setter in the 5-1 system and is coming off an all-district campaign. Casey Stewart also chips in at setter.

"Kristyn is a great player and leads the team," Rodriguez said. "She's a player the rest of the girls really look to. She's a great setter and has great hands, but she is still getting used to playing with a lot of the girls. She does a great job of putting the ball in the air where they can hit it, but we still have room to improve in our chemistry and familiarity with the swingers."

Libero and defensive specialists are Cora Bailey and Micah Dinwiddie.

"Cora does a great job and Micah has played well as a freshman," Rodriguez said. "Like a lot of the other positions, the biggest adjustment is just to get them to play more quickly. But they've been doing a good job of digging and getting to balls."

Despite being just a freshman, Dinwiddie earned a spot on varsity because of her athleticism.

"We felt it would benefit her and the team more to bring her up to varsity rather than play on junior varsity," Rodriguez said. "She's extremely athletic and is fearless out there. She's like a little bulldog on the back row. And she also talks a lot and does a good job of communicating with the rest of the players on the court."

Another area of improvement has been in serving.

"We've been very aggressive but have also been pretty consistent," Rodgriguez said. "On the other hand, we've had our challenges on serve-receive. It's another one of those parts of the game where it's going to take repetition to get that muscle memory down. We really struggled with our serve-receive in the loss Tuesday against Boyd."

Despite a lack of experience, and competing in a district that boasts the past two state champs (Coppell and Hebron), a Marcus team that reached the regional finals in each of the past two years and an upstart Flower Mound squad, Rodriguez and the Lady Farmers have set their sights set on reaching the playoffs.

"That's our goal and if we work hard we think we can accomplish it," she said. "We have a lot of potential and I'm very excited to get to district. But we're our own worst enemy at this point. I think we've gotten used to losing over the past few years and don't know any better. We have to change that attitude and can't have complacency. So far, the girls have been dedicated and are really buying in. They've shown mental toughness and are ready for a change."

Lewisville will have ample time to prepare for district as they don't begin 5-5A play until Sept. 21 as a result of competing in a six-team district.

"It's nice to have more time," Rodriguez said. "But it's going to be a tough district. Athletically, I think we can hang. We have to make progress in our skills and our knowledge of the game. I've been impressed with their want to. They're having fun and their confidence is improving."

Lady Farmers swept by McKinney Boyd

Andrew Snyder

asnyder@starlocalnews.com

McKinney Boyd senior Megan Mollett hit .500 with a match-high 13 kills to pace Tuesday's sweep of Lewisville (25-11, 25-12, 25-12). The Lady Broncos moved to 20-5 on the season with the win, which followed a strong showing over the weekend at the Arlington Invitational.

"It was a good, clean match," said Kelly Quinn, Boyd head coach. "We played well."

Boyd never trailed against Lewisville courtesy of strong defense and a well-rounded attack. The Lady Broncos hit .318 as a team and had a handful of players with five or more kills. Among them was senior middle blocker Krista Bukovec, who contributed across the board with six kills, two aces, three and a half blocks and four digs.

Momentum shifts were few and far between during the match. Lewisville only managed to keep pace early in sets; given enough time, the Lady Broncos worked methodically to put things away. In the first set, they used a 13-3 run to turn a four-point, 12-8 lead into their winning margin.

The Lady Broncos ruled the second set to an equal extent and closed out on a four-point run that included a pair of Lewisville errors. Boyd's coast-to-coast domination continued in the final set, where senior middle hitter Emma Meyer landed the match-winning kill to close a 10-3 run.

Meyer helped build Boyd's high hitting percentage with a .500, five-kill performance mirrored by junior opposite hitter Lauren Petrisin, who hit .556 with five kills. Boyd senior libero Kaley Seaber had a team-high 19 digs and four aces, while junior setter Parker Sheperd compiled 14 assists as the team's main facilitator.

"Our setters are doing a good job of setting up the offense right now, which is making everyone look good," Quinn said.

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