News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Cumberland County volleyball won their first game of the season beating Van Buren in three sets, marking the first win for first year head coach Rodney Howard.
Howard said he was confident in his team due to their success at play days, scrimmages and tournaments in recent weeks. But, while his team is performing well in the pre-season, Howard said the work is never done.
“In practice, I keep stressing the fact that if you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backwards in volleyball today,” Howard said. “Really stressing making sure everybody is focused. And everybody is ready, we’re ready to play. We have a lot of experience playing now.”
Cumberland beat Van Buren County 25-14, 25-11, 25-13.
The team adjusting, Watson said, since injuries forced middle hitter Ivy Watson to miss the start of the season. Howard said Watson is a vocal leader and is the glue of this team. But he said he was pleased to see underclassmen step into that role in their first game to secure the win.
“I like that we have girls, I have one freshman that comes in and three sophomores that come in for varsity,” Howard said. “But I like that they can come in and actually take care of business. I don’t have to worry about if they’re going to make mistakes or hang their heads. So, I like their attitudes and I like their determination to come into a varsity game at a higher speed and be able to play the game.”
This off-season, Howard implemented the Vertimax to increase vertical jump numbers and did a six week Powercore 360 unit on hitting.
“I’ve been around these girls in travel, I’ve been around them in high school, being a volunteer these last couple years,” Howard said. “I don’t know if there’s any surprises.”
The Jets’ home opener will welcome district rival Livingston Academy next Tuesday. Howard said Cumberland County games will have a college-like environment and he is excited to showcase a new team to the community.
“We haven’t beaten Livingston Academy in quite some time now, so we’re really looking forward to that” Howard said. “We’ve been prepping for our first home game for a long time and I know there is a buzz now around Cumberland County when we talk about playing at home.”
Cumberland County travels to Smith County Thursday.
