Volleyball 2009: Playoff success leads coach to see bright future
Interview by Bre Stephens, Staff Writer
The Lady Blue Devils varsity volleyball team proved in 2009 that they have what it takes to succeed. By making it to the playoffs for the first time in several years, they showed how far they have come. In the interview below, head coach Mandy Zimmerman discusses the season.
TV: Did you approach this season any differently than you did last season?
Zimmerman: No, the only difference from last year is that we had another coach. We had an assistant coach who was new and she brought up the 7th, 8th and 9th grade girls, and they had an undefeated season so they did really well. They were really excited about going into playing junior varsity. Our other assistant coach from last year was unable to play because she was participating in her college sports, but as far as anything else, the coaches were different other than myself. We had a lot more confidence this year because the girls knew me. They knew they could have fun and knew they could continue to play hard. They knew what to expect more this year, so I think everyone was more comfortable this season from the beginning and throughout.
TV: How did the intensity change from regular season to playoffs?
Zimmerman: Regular season we knew our opponents, we knew who we were facing. The hardest team we faced was Elderton and West Shamokin because they came together as one. We went about the normal season as we would any other game. We were excited to play each game, especially the section matches that we had. The matches that weren’t section we took just as a learning experience. The playoffs were definitely a lot more exciting. They were a lot more ready for the game. Our bus was completely quiet going to our first game. They were listening to their music. They were getting pumped up. No one has seen them play as well as they did the first game in playoffs. They played amazing. The second game was a team we lost to twice, a little more of a mental game. But the team we lost to won the WPIALs, so it was okay that we lost to them but we could have played harder that game.
TV: Besides the playoffs, what other highlights did you have this season?
Zimmerman: The girls just have so much fun together. Two of the girls got nominated and selected to be in the Valley News Dispatch section all-star teams. Kaysie Young got the First Team All Valley, and Alex Ceschini got Second Team All Valley. Kaysie Young also got third team in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. So every game was a highlight; every game was an adventure. We just had a really good time.
TV: What kind of challenges did you face this season?
Zimmerman: The challenges were that we still have a lot of girls on the team so it’s so hard to get everyone the same amount of playing time. That’s a decision you face as a coach—do you put them in so that everyone plays or do you put them in so that we win? So that was probably one of the harder things because I like that everyone plays, but they have to earn their spots on varsity and if they earn their spot, they’re going to play. And if they practice hard, obviously they earn their spot to play.
TV: Did the team have any pre-game rituals?
Zimmerman: We had the same warm-up as we did last year. I know a lot of girls listen to their music just to get psyched up like any other team. There really wasn’t anything. I know Apollo had a cheer stick or something; we didn’t have anything like that. We just had each other and enjoyed each other.
TV: What goals do you have in mind for next season?
Zimmerman: Our goal next year again is to make the playoffs. We’re unsure whether West Shamokin/Elderton are going to be in our section or not, and if they are not, we want to be number one in our section. We have 11 or 12 graduating seniors next year so we’re going to have a lot of people who need to work to gain their spots. There will be a lot of different people and a lot of different positions, so we’re going to scramble it around a little bit and see how it goes.
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