They may not have even played their first conference game, but the girls have already set their season goals.
One of the Lady Wolves volleyball team’s season goals is to make it back to state.
Head coach Rikki Shantz said she usually gives the girls the first couple of weeks to set goals. Shantz also takes the time to assess the team and make her own goals.
“I would like to obviously make it back to state for the third year in a row,” Shantz said.
Shantz’ goals coincided with the girls.
Most had to make it back to state, while others wanted to place in the top four at state.
Shantz said she believes the competition will most likely come from Casper, Kelly Walsh, Evanston, Cheyenne East and Gillette.
“I think we can compete with them,” she said.
However, Shantz will not rule out any team within the 4A Division.
“I have almost every team in our conference on our radar,” Shantz said. “We need to find a way to win those games during conference play.”
This Thursday, the team will have its first conference game against their biggest rival -- the Rock Springs Tigers, which is scheduled to take place in Rock Springs at 7 p.m.
“Obviously, I need to say nothing to the girls to get them pumped up,” Shantz said.
The team will need to focus on the process of winning and not just winning.
So far, the team has traveled to Cokeville and Gillette to participate in tournaments. It was during this time the team was able to discover some of its weaknesses.
The team will need to work on its defense and its serving and receiving passing. Shantz said they need to work on getting the perfect pass so they can get the serve back more aggressively.
“It’s been a bot of a weakness when we face tougher serving teams,” Shantz said.
On Friday, the team will travel to uncharted territory and play Jackson.
“This is the first year they are in our conference,” Shantz said. “I don’t even know if I’ve seen them in the eight years I’ve been coaching.”
In this situation, Shantz said all they can do is focus on what they do well and what they can control.
“The conference is always changing,” she said. “Just another year of something new.”
Gillette Invitational
At the Gillette Invitational, the team played teams from Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming. It was in these tournaments, that the team was able to play against 12 other teams.
During Friday’s games, the team played every team in its pool. On Saturday, the Lady Wolves were assigned to the silver bracket, where they proceeded to play against teams with the same skill sets. Shantz said they had three brackets, gold, silver and bronze. They were assigned a bracket based on Friday’s set results and points.
Three seniors, one sophomore and several juniors make up this year’s varsity squad.
The Lady Wolves and Shantz enjoyed a tournament because they had the chance to see how other teams from other states play the game. It gave them a better idea of where they are at competitively and what to work on.
Some years it is hard to Shantz to decide what to work on because the team has several areas that need improvement. This year, it is clear where the weaknesses are and she has been setting up practices to address those weaknesses.
“I am always about the team and working as a team,” Shantz said.
However, she did want to mention Andri Dewey who was playing outside hitter and moved to center. Dewey has handled that transition; and has been doing really well.
Katie Banks and Taylor Stoeger are both hitting outside for the Lady Wolves and doing a good job of that. They are currently hitting at 20 percent, which for the start of the season is good, she said.
Hannah Hix has been moved from the middle position to the right side; and will probably stay in that position since she had been doing a good job of blocking and has also been doing well on offense.
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