The girls of volleyball are preparing for another run in the playoffs, and played in a weekend tournament – falling just short of a victory against Mercy High School.
Head Coach Ross Talbot said the loss was, in part, due to the injury of junior Tess Marshall, who usually brings in two or three points per match. Talbot added that the whole team seemed to ‘run out of gas.?
‘It went pretty good, we went to finals, but lost to Mercy,? he said. ‘We’re excited to get to the finals of another tournament but we just ran out. It’s basically who wants to come and play that night. We’re working on trying to bring our A-game and playing more consistently.?
District play lies ahead, and because of drawing a bye, Orion will begin their post season run on Thursday in Romeo against Oxford.
In their bracket, Clarkston and Adams played on Tuesday, with the winner of that match to play Romeo on Thursday. The winner of the Thursday match will face Orion, if they beat Oxford.
‘I like the competitions – the districts are lining us up pretty well this year,? said Talbot. ‘If we beat Clarkston, it will probably be us against Mercy in the Regional final. But high school volleyball this year is a lot like football this year – you never know what’s going to happen.?
The girls finished with a season record of 44-17, though Talbot was quick to point out that the normal season ‘doesn’t really matter much.? He said because the team plays in such hard tournaments and faces off against teams that are top in the state in the post season, the normal season is largely practice for them. In the end, according to him, the record doesn’t tell him how good the team can be.
‘Last year we made a big run, and our nine seniors are expecting big things,? he said. ‘They’re getting huge help from the underclassmen too. On this team it’s become all about helping the girl next to you.?
Talbot added thoughts on his first year as varsity coach and said it’s been a learning experience for everyone. He believes he has much to work on as a coach and seeks to make sure the program is ready for future challenges.