This week, a group of girls will put on their Republic Lady Tiger uniforms for the first time. They’re the Republic 7th grade volleyball team, and they open their season at home against Carl Junction under new head coach Cindy Fenske.
Fenske says she’s excited to get the season started, because she sees a group of players who know what they’re doing on the volleyball court, even before games have begun.
“I think a lot of the 7th graders have a good knowledge base, whereas I don’t think that’s been like that in the past,” Fenske says. I’m really anxious to get in the nitty gritty and see where we stand in the conference.
“I think we have some strong hitters. I think we have some setters who can get the ball where it needs to be.”
The team’s preparation comes from games they’ve played in non-school settings, and Fenske says the off-season volleyball clinics offered by high school coach Piper Wright and her players have made a difference, too.
“I think anything they do in the off-season contributes to what we do in season. I think that does help. A lot of these girls are playing extra,” Fenske says.
This is Fenske’s first year as a coach at Republic, but she has coached at the high school level — both varsity and junior varsity — in the past. She says she loves working with middle school players.
“They have this will to get better. They’re like sponges. They strive to get better,” Fenske says. “They’re always listening, and it’s all about the team. The middle school — 7th and 8th grade — is just a great place to be.”
Winning games is one goal of a middle school program, but so is preparing players for the high school level.
“Piper has talked to all the coaches about what they want to run at the high school: what kind of offense, where they want us to be, the names of offensive plays, the drills that we do,” Fenske says. “We try to incorporate here at the middle school what they’re doing at the high school.
“We tell the kids, even down to our handbook and the handouts we give them, they’re from the high school.”
From the moment the young Lady Tigers put on the uniforms for their first game, Fenske will be anxious to see how they grow.
“It’s going to be fun to watch,” she says.
Republic opens the season September 10 at home against Carl Junction.