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7.0 years ago by Jeff Alderman

Girls Volleyball Redbirds reload from 20 win season - The Telegraph - 8/31/2016

PREP VOLLEYBALL: Redbirds reload for 20-win season

 

Six of top eight back off 20-win team

By Greg Shashack - gshashack@civitasmedia.com

 


Alton’s Savannah Fisher (left), shown hitting past the block against Edwardsville last season, returns for her senior season to lead a Redbirds team taking aim at a third straight 20-win season.

 

James B. Ritter / For The Telegraph

GODFREY – Alton Redbirds volleyball returns six of its top eight players from a 21-win squad in 2015.

So appearing overmatched in a decisive defeat at Columbia before a three-set fight was required to beat Metro East Lutheran went against the script for the 2016 season’s opening week.

“Not what I expected from the experience that we have back on the court,” Alton coach Stacey Ferguson said.

But the Redbirds coach who began her eighth season as head coach at Alton with a 135-101-5 record was not reaching for the panic button.

“It’s a good group of girls and they come to practice every day with a common goal and I can see them all working hard for each other,” Ferguson said after last Wednesday’s 21-25, 25-16, 25-23 victory over MEL. “So I’m hoping the wheel will get rolling a little bit and that will pay off in the future.”

That roll began Tuesday night when the Redbirds swept the Fort Zumwalt South Bulldogs in straight sets at Alton High. It dropped the Dogs to 2-3 and put the Redbirds at 2-1 heading into the Alton Tournament, a six-team round robin Friday and Saturday.

The Redbirds are the two-time defending tourney champions with a 10-game winning streak in an event that brings Gillespie, Triad, Southwestern, Granite City and Orchard Farm to Godfrey.

Alton appears stocked for a third straight 20-win season. The Redbirds finished 21-13-1 last season after setting the program’s victories record with a 25-8-1 in 2014 that gave AHS back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time.

The Redbirds did graduate their all-time kills leader in Jada Green, who finished with 630 kills. But proven terminators return with experienced attackers in senior outside hitter Savannah Fisher and middle blocker Annie Evans.

Fisher put down the match-ending kill to beat MEL, but Ferguson hit the season’s second week still waiting for the athletic outside to unleash more of her power potential.

“I still haven’t seen a swing that I need to see from her,” Ferguson said. “I think she’s holding back a little bit, trying to just play smart instead of smart and hard. But she didn’t stop swinging. We can’t stop swinging because we’re not going to get better if we don’t do it.”

Junior Gwen Hunter joins Fisher at outside hitter, with junior Saddi Brands stepping up to join Fisher and Evans as a kills leader in the middle. Junior Emily Stahl is the right side, with junior setter Sydney Schmidt returning as setter in the Redbirds’ 5-1 offense.

Schmidt is the Redbirds’ most dangerous server with six aces from the first two matches. Junior Katie Mans, a two-time state medalist as a high jumper in track, gives Alton depth at the net.

Becoming more efficient in their attack remains a target for the Redbirds, but Ferguson does not want mistakes to diminish the aggressiveness of her hitters.

“They kept with it, they kept persevering through the errors and whatnot,” Ferguson said. “We just have to work to get better on the unforced errors, the serving errors, the miscommunication on defense. We have to be better at that so everything else falls into place.”

The back line is anchored by returning libero Kassidy Funke. The junior gets defensive support from sophomore Calista Cox, while Fisher also is a key in back as a six-rotation player.

With none of the Redbirds’ primary attackers taller than 5-foot-10, passing out of serve receive is crucial for an offense without the luxury of size that Southwestern Conference powers Edwardsville and O’Fallon send out.

“If we don’t get the pass up where we need to, our girls — we are good hitters — but we also lack the height to make the adjustment when things are off a little bit,” Ferguson said. “We definitely have to work extra hard in the backcourt to make our front row’s job easier.”

Greg Shashack may be reached at 618-798-1486 or on Twitter @gregshashack

 
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