An expanded Haines High School volleyball team opens play this weekend at the annual Juneau Invitational Volleyball Extravaganza (JIVE) competition.
The Glacier Bears in 2014 finished their season as hosts of the Region V championship with only six players on the roster. They were eliminated from the tournament following losses to Wrangell and Metlakatla.
First-year coach Cassie Miller’s 2015 squad includes seniors Bailey Stuart and Nattaphon “Ice” Wangyot; juniors Shaye Otton, Bozhi Sebens, Jordan Stigen and Allison Stuart; sophomores Brittney Bradford, Grace Lambert, Sarah Long and Gabi Miller; and freshmen Lilianna Benassi and Tailer Olsson.
“I think that we have a lot of potential,” Sebens said. “I can see us coming up strong.”
The team will return to Juneau for another tournament later this season. The Glacier Bears also will travel to Petersburg and Wrangell before the Region V tournament in Skagway in mid-November.
The Skagway event is the closest to Haines the Glacier Bears will compete this season, barring any late additions to the schedule. The team did have one home scrimmage, last weekend against Haines Junction boys’ and girls’ squads.
Sebens said scrimmaging helped the Glacier Bears work on “playing as a team, not just as an individual.”
“We need to work on communication, but we definitely had parts of working together as a team, and that felt good,” she said.
Fellow junior Allison Stuart, who, like Sebens, attended school out of state last year, said she is “really nervous” for JIVE in Juneau. She said the Glacier Bears are focusing on moving their feet, squaring up on passes and calling for the ball. “Talking is a big one.”
Coach Miller in recent years has worked to introduce Haines students to volleyball at a younger age.
“I’ve been coaching at the middle school level for the last three years and was really excited when the (high school) job became available,” Miller said.
An earlier start can ease the transition, she said, but it’s still a tough step to varsity play. “It’s a pretty big change coming from middle school to high school, because we’re working on teamwork and not just fundamentals.”