Burnet volleyball ready for strong defense of bi-district foe Boerne
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
BURNET — After the Burnet High School volleyball team’s season ended last year with a first-round playoff loss to Glen Rose, the returning Lady Dawgs vowed that 2014 would be different.
They can begin fulfilling that promise in a bi-district championship against Navarro on Nov. 4 at Boerne High School, 1 Greyhound Lane in Boerne. Tipoff is still to be determined.
The Lady Dawgs (16-12 overall, 6-4 district) enter the contest after a loss to District 25-4A champion Liberty Hill 14-25, 12-25, 17-25 on Oct. 28. The Lady Panthers (21-12 overall, 8-2 district) had already clinched the district crown, and Burnet was already locked in as the runner-up before the contest was played.
Burnet head coach Salye Coles said she is confident her players will not allow one loss to turn into two.
“We had a great workout (Oct. 29),” she said. “It was one of the better Wednesday workouts we’ve had.”
Burnet will face a Navarro team that plays solid defense.
“They’re pretty scrappy on the back line,” Coles said.
For some teams with big hitters, the rallies tend to be longer and front-row players can grow irritated with defensive specialists who simply won’t quit.
But Coles said the Lady Dawgs have faced opponents with that kind of defensive commitment before, and they’re confident in their approach. That’s because they’ve played and beaten district opponents Taylor, Salado and Lampasas.
“My girls have gotten aggressive with controlling long rallies,” the coach said. “We’re really confident with that. We have a really nice offensive scheme with our serve-receive.”
She also commended setters Sami Hogan and Kasey Taylor for matching up the hitter to the correct blocker.
“The setters are learning to analyze what’s on the other side,” Coles said. “They’ve learned to set our hitters at their strongest points. They’re making nice plays on the other side of the ball.”
To help the Lady Dawgs prepare for Navarro, they will welcome Bangs in a warm-up match at 11 a.m. Nov. 1 at The Doghouse, 1000 The Green Mile.
jfierro@thepicayune.com