Snowbarger hoping Generals’ volleyball picture is coming together

  • brian questel
  • September 28, 2011
  • 322
                        
100311 WHSvolleyball Promo: General volleyball team putting the pieces of the puzzle together Snowbarger hoping Generals’ volleyball picture is coming together By Brian Questel As the 2011 campaign dawned, Wooster High head volleyball coach Jen Snowbarger knew there were questions – many questions -- that had to be answered before the full picture would be. That’s nothing new for any program, of course, but it’s particularly true when freshmen and sophomores figure dramatically into the mix and coaches and teammates wait to see how they will compete on a varsity level. That was an issue that Snowbarger knew she was going to be dealing with as she attempted to blend six letter winners in with several newcomers. And while the Generals have struggled early in the powerful Ohio Cardinal Conference with a 2-6 record, they have pulled even at 6-6 overall as they look forward to the final half of the campaign. “I think that at the beginning of the season I doubted our ability to compete,” said Snowbarger. “By constantly challenging them and getting them to pay attention (to competing) instead of just playing, it made a huge difference. “We’re taking baby steps. As a coach, in your mind you know where you want the team to be… and it’s easy to want to jump steps. It’s patience and baby steps. With each game you get better, you can make a lot of progress. Win or lose, if you are improving, you are going in the right direction.” That growth has been a reflection of the maturity of the squad, but particularly so of the underclassmen. “I say when you have freshmen on the court, it takes four matches to get over the jitters and for them to realize they are playing varsity and accept the responsibility – they are looking for others to do it,” said Snowbarger. “Now they are accepting the responsibility. Freshmen and sophomores are underclassmen, so it’s about maturity and all that. When they accept responsibility on the court, that’s when you get better. “The obstacle is consistency and that comes with time.” That is critical for a team like Wooster, which is mixing in freshmen and sophomores with seniors like setter Brittany Nicholson and hitter Emily Crawford. “I’m seeing girls wanting to fill roles,” said Snowbarger. “When they accept their roles and responsibilities, then you don’t have as many holes offensively and defensively. They fill the voids. The more we put that together, more often, then we’ll continue to improve.” One player who has made big strides this season is sophomore Sid Logee. “She has come along on the outside,” said Snowbarger. “As a freshman she played a minor role -- this year she leads us in kills and is our go-to player right now. She is also doing a better job being a presence on the court. I’ve very pleased with her. “Brittany has done a good job running the offense, which is a carry over from last year,” added Snowbarger. “A defensive person who has come on is Jenna Gingery. She has been gaining confidence game by game and is doing a good job getting balls up. Emily Crawford is right behind Sid in kills and is second on the team, and she’s doing a good job blocking and being a presence on the court.” Wooster had two matches this past week against Mansfield Senior (OCC), Ashland (OCC) before facing West Holmes (Oct. 4), Clear Fork (Oct. 6) and Cloverleaf (Oct. 8) in another pair of OCC matches.


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