Alex Bybee was hired to be the head coach for the Sedona Red Rock High School volleyball team in the spring. For the first time since she took the job, Bybee got a first hand look at what some of her new players can do on the volleyball court — albeit in a slightly limited way.
The summer practices started on Tuesday, June 9 at SRRHS’ Doc Adams Gym. Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still limit how many people can be in one place at a time and what drills can be done. Additionally, even in normal times, summer practices frequently don’t have 100% attendance.
Still, a total of seven girls who will take the floor for the Scorpions next school year were at the opening practice. And while the practice was fairly light, Bybee liked what she saw from her new team.
“It was really basic,” the coach said. “We went through dynamics and had a really shortened warmup. I watched them serve. Then we did a lot of conditioning and I had them play for the last 10 minutes.”
“It was good,” she added. “I think we’re going to have a really good season. We definitely have some work to do, especially since they’ve been off since March. They’re kind of getting back into it. I’m getting them refocused and really focused on being successful. But it was good. They had fun. I think they were really happy to be here.”
The Scorpions are looking to build off of what was a successful volleyball season in 2019. They won the 2A Central Region last season with an 11-1 record, went 16-1 overall and earned the No. 4 seed in the 2A state playoffs, where they reached the quarterfinals. A total of six players from that team — including three starters — have graduated. With that, the Scorpions will have a number of new faces, or at least familiar faces in expanded roles.
Sedona will also have a great deal of experience on the floor when the season begins. Aside from the six seniors, last year’s varsity roster was made up entirely of underclassmen. Four of those underclassmen were starters for the Scorpions in 2019 and are set to return to the team this year.
“I think it’s a good group of kids — I’m excited to see them again,” Bybee said. “It’s good to be back and to get started on something, get them working. It was a good first practice and first day back to work.”
The SRRHS team will continue to practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays for two hours each day through the end of June. Assuming some of the social distancing restrictions continue to be lifted, the practices will become more frequent as the summer progresses.
