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By BEN MCCARTY
News staff writer
September 3, 2008
Hood River Valley volleyball coach Scott Walker has a batch of
new players this season, and is hoping that he can cook up a few
wins with them.
Hood River Valley is still looking for its first conference win
since moving to the Mount Hood Conference and Walker thinks this
could be the year.
“Each year I think we are getting a little bit better than the
year before,” he said.
The Eagles will have 10 newcomers this year, and lost eight
seniors from last year’s squad. Another blow came when junior
hitter Rachel Perry decided not to come out for the team this
season.
“Some girls are going to be playing new positions this year,”
Walker said. Among those will include outside hitter Cara
Williams, who will be pulling double duty as the team’s setter
this season after the graduation of setter Bailie Hillen.
Among the newcomers will be senior Natalie Skinna, from Alaska,
who will make up for some of the lost height on the front line;
and fellow seniors Ariel Larson, Sarah Pritchett, Erin Moore and
Amy Hobbes will be counted on to bring leadership and stability
on a team where just six players have any varsity experience.
“We have the potential — we just need to bring it out,” Hobbes
said.
Hobbes and the other seniors have one very simple goal for this
season: Just win a match.
During the last three years the Eagles have exactly one full
match win.
They beat Bend in September 2005 when they still played in the
Intermountain Conference. Last year they did beat Cleveland in a
two-set tournament match, and it has been as close as they have
come to winning since. In conference play last season, the
Eagles won three sets all season, all against Sandy.
To get a win this season, Walker wants to see his team improve
its communication and passing and use its athleticism to help
out the few tall players it does have.
“We are going to be able to move around better on our front
line,” Walker said.
But if they can’t pass the ball effectively, it would not matter
how tall the players on the Eagles front line are.
“I want to see us pass well enough so that we are getting some
good swings at the ball,” Walker said.
And his players know they need to make those swings count if
they are going to stay in it in a very tough conference.
“When we get swings we need to be sure we keep the ball in
bounds and eliminate any easy balls,” Williams said.
Despite the winless streak over their heads Walker is sure to
keep the Eagles loose in practice, joking with them while at the
same time keeping track of their progress.
“Everyone gets along well this year,” Moore said.
Getting all the players and coaches together for practice has
been a challenge thus far the Eagles; according to Walker the
team has only been able to have one practice when both he and
the whole team has been there, thanks to a variety of
circumstances. But even in the few times the whole team has been
together, Walker sees reasons to be optimistic this year.
“I’ve seen some really good things,” he said.
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