The Haines girls’ volleyball team plays its home opener match this weekend, with games against Wrangell beginning 6 p.m. Friday and 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Karl Ward Gym.
Assistant coach Liana Shull said she’s hoping fans turn out to see the 17-member squad that’s improved with experience and a summer’s training. “We’re already stronger than we were at the end of last season.”
Players include seniors Nicole Stickler and Abby Jones, juniors Anna Jacobson, Elizabeth Busk Stevens, Brook Cinocco, Amey and Ashley Messerschmidt, and Teolani Lynch, sophomores Riley Erekson, Alisha Young, Margarette Jones, Deni Hoy, and Sam Lowe, and freshmen Coral Bauer, Libby Jacobson, Adalee Lari, Grace Jones, and Jamie Messerschmidt.
Amey Messerschmidt was one of the team’s players who improved during the summer, adding at least four inches to her leap, Shull said. “We’re really excited about our blocking game.”
Goals will include utilizing the team’s back row as attackers, consistent serving and maximizing a new, 6-2 offense that allows the team to have three hitters in the front row. Solid passing will be key to that attack, Shull said.
The Glacier Bears played well at their first games during a jamboree last weekend in Juneau, where they faced teams from Juneau-Douglas, Thunder Mountain, Sitka, and Ketchikan. “We played teams from bigger schools and we came out pretty solid. We won some and lost some.” Varsity and JV teams each played 10 games.
Abby Jones, Stevens and Erekson are among the varsity team’s top servers. Last weekend, Erekson was consistent with a jump serve that puts spin on the ball and psyches out the other team, Shull said. On JV, Jacobson and Lowe were strong servers. “In JV, if you can (serve) it over the net, you can score points.”.
Sisters Anna and Libby Jacobson are strong setters on the varsity and junior varsity squads, respectively. Ashley Messerschmidt will team with Anna as varsity setters.
Friendly competitions involving the crowd this weekend will help raise money for the squad, Shull said. “Volleyball is a game you can play your whole life. We want people to come out and help us build up the program.”