Sedona Red Rock High School’s volleyball team may be better after a loss.
At least that’s what head coach John Parks thought following his team’s 3-0 [25-13, 25-7, 25-10] home dispatch of the Camp Verde Cowboys that took less than an hour.
Fifty minutes, to be exact.
“We were definitely sharper tonight,” Parks said. “We had a good week of practice, good last three weeks of practice, in fact.
“We had fewer unforced errors, not as many missed serves, and our passing is a lot better.”
Parks measures that improvement against SRRHS’ only loss on its record, a 3-0 home defeat to section IV leaders Northwest Christian on Oct. 1. Before the loss, he said, his players were “tight. They were nervous.”
Now, he says, the team — particularly team chemistry and rhythm — is beginning to peak at the right time.
“It’s always your goal to peak at the right time,” he said. “The team is not at its peak yet, but we’re getting there.”
Net domination and well-placed aces were the keys Thursday night, a win in which the Scorpions never trailed.
Two kills by junior DeVonne Ryter and an ace by senior Morgan Hawes fueled an early 7-2 lead in the first set. Five hard kills by junior Shamina Thodé were followed by three straight aces by senior Kylie Capite that stretched the lead to 19-8 — a margin that senior Mallory Lamparter helped increase by one in the final tally with quick sets for Hawes and Thodé spikes.
“[Lamparter]’s our primary setter,” Parks said. “The connection between her and DeVonne is improving every day.”
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Oct. 16, issue of the Sedona Red Rock News.