By Chris Parker
Lamar volleyball finished 16-11-2 last year coming up just one match short of winning a district championship.
Coming so close to a district title has provided ample motivation for the returning Lamar Lady Tiger players.
“It definitely has motivated them during our summer contact days to work hard. We have had 100% of the returning players participate in our summer leagues and contact days,” Lamar head coach Andrea Fast said.
Ryen Willhite was named second-team all-conference after finishing second on Lamar in kills (88), aces (32), digs (199) and third in serve-receives (244).
“Ryen is coachable and has a great attitude on and off the court. She is influential to her teammates with her work ethic and talent. Ryen is one of those players that goes the extra mile by working on volleyball in the off-season months and as a result has become a well-rounded player in all six rotations on the court,” Fast said. “Because Ryen is so influential to her teammates, I want her leadership to continue to influence her teammates to be consistent, focus on details and work hard. She does a good job of encouraging adjustments on the court that help with momentum.”
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Lamar has a lot of overall depth to lean on led by three additional seniors in Madelyn Gastel, Marlie Miller and Maddie Jeffries. That depth of talent has Lamar sporting a balanced lineup with few holes.
“It’s hard to narrow down to a biggest strength, because this group of girls really does have a lot of strengths. When they catch momentum, they are really exciting to watch and have a lot of crowd pleasing moments. We have a lot of athleticism among our players, so they are up for trying new things and don’t shy away from challenges,” Fast said.
A district title will be the goal for Lamar in 2019.
“The returning players definitely have their sights set on winning districts and they have influenced the freshmen in that goal as well,” Fast said.
Lamar will open the season on Sept. 3 at Aurora.
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