By Chris Parker
Pleasant Hope volleyball has a new head coach in Britany Cheek this season. Cheek was at Diamond for the past three years and Billings for the seven years prior to that as head coach. Her teams won five district titles in those 10 years.
She was able to admire the Pleasant Hope volleyball program from the opposing side, and is now excited to coach the team.
“Being at Diamond, we competed against Pleasant Hope because of being in the same conference. I always admired their competitiveness and their enthusiastic play,” Cheek said.
She takes over a Pleasant Hope program that has won 23 and 20 matches in each of the past two seasons. Now, the Pirates will look for an improved mindset to help the program take the next step and compete for a district title.
“The girls have the ability, but the one thing that needs to be better is the mindset of knowing they are good. They are their worst critics. If they can get a clear mental game the results will come,” Cheek said.
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Cheek has a talented core of players to lean on starting with senior Jianna Halbrook. Halbrook was a First-Team All-Southwest Conference selection last season. She led Pleasant Hope in kills (354), blocks (41) and digs (294).
“She (Halbrook) is probably the best natural athlete I have coached. She explodes well whether it’s jumping or fast feet on defense. Being a six-rotation player she has a lot of pressure, but she handles it well,” Cheek said. “(I want her) to continue to be the athlete she has been and exceed even those expectations. I need her to be the positive influence on the court to the other players.”
Halbrook will be an outside the middle hitter.
Fellow senior Abbey Swearengin also returns at outside hitter. She was named Second-Team All-Southwest Conference last season after she tallied 247 kills and led the team in aces with 59.
Halbrook and Swearengin make for a formidable hitting duo.
“Jianna has the straight down hits. Abbey has the long hard shots. It’s a blessing to have one of them on the front row at all times,” Cheek said.
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Taylor Burns returns as the team’s top setter after she led Pleasant Hope with 407 assists last year.
“I always tell my setters you are like the quarterback, you run the offense. We have the hitters and she will get them the ball,” Cheek said.
Senior Alexis Daugherty, junior Kylie Tucker and sophomore Graci Wolfe also return for Pleasant Hope. Sophomores Chloe Hendrickson and MacKenzie Hamilton along with freshman Lexi Perryman will be new players to watch.
“(We expect) to go out strong and finish strong and be good teammates, and with that and hard work the post season could be fun,” Cheek said.
Pleasant Hope opens the season on Aug. 31 at Everton.
