The Lady Canes made some big adjustments in preparation for this year’s volleyball season. They had no choice; change was a must due to last year’s captains and team leaders, Cassie Wilkinson and Cassie Roy graduating. Wilkinson had been the starting setter and Roy had been the leading scorer of the Canes. “I think that we have done an amazing job of adjusting to changes on our team and have already shown that the Lady Canes are the team to be scared of this year,” junior Sammy Eichelberger said.
That statement might be proven true as the girls’ varsity volleyball team pulls off three wins early in the season. Two of the wins were against Tampa Prep and Seminole. The other was a rivalry match against East Lake. “The entire gym was filled with fans for the East Lake grudge match,” junior Sammy Eichelberger said. “We took them in five games, 16-14. It was such a close match. We were down 8-4 in the last match of the game and came back by fighting point for point and focusing on each play.”
The Lady Canes can credit their wins to their passing consistency, ability to put the ball away at key moments, and prime shape. Their conditioning began a week before school started. A typical conditioning practice would consist of a circuit of abs, ladders and practice, followed by a leg circuit or lunges and squats. The team is hoping that all of this will pay off. Their first goal is to take districts for the third year in a row and pursue farther. “I think we will make it to states this year. We have so much talent on the team and so much drive that I think we can do anything,” Eichelberger said.
The volleyball season for the Lady Canes should be promising. “Make sure to get a piece of the action by going to a game,” Eichelberger said. Tickets for a volleyball game are $3.