Volleyball coaches keep squads on their toes

[KFDM COOP]

Volleyball coaches keep squads on their toes

Sometimes, the West Brook volleyball coach allows her team to perform moves at their discretion.

Other times, LaBauve gives the signal.

But one thing is for certain, LaBauve knows timing is everything.

Players must know when to tip, spike or slam down a hard, driving spike.

"When there is an open hole and you are pretty sure the ball will hit the floor, I will tell them to tip the ball," said LaBauve, whose team picked up its first District 21-5A win against Memorial last Friday. "Players also have some leeway to do it on their own."

A tip is used when a team's opponents have learned the timing of its attack. A player touches the ball lightly so it lands short in an area of the opponent's court that is not being covered by a defender.

"You always want to try and tip the ball into an open spot," said Ozen coach Shy Randle, whose team is in second place in District 22-4A. "I always let the players decide when to do it because they have better perception of when to do it than myself because I am sitting on the sideline. But there are times when I tell them to do it, but it just all depends."

A spike is when a player hits a ball that cannot be defended on the opponent's court.

"I like attacking the ball because it's the most intimidating," said Bridge City coach Becca Mathews, whose team holds first place in District 21-3A with an undefeated record. "But when your opponents are digging, you have to change it up sometimes. You have to tip a few balls to keep your opponents on their toes."

Even though Mathews thought the tip and the spike were effective moves, she said it wouldn't be possible without good passing.

"You have to pass in order to set and hit," Mathews said. "That's why I think passing is the most important skill to learn. You can get players to hit all day but you have to get them to practice on their passing so that they can be ready for anything in a game."

Randle believes it all begins with the serve.

"Serves are an easy way to give and get points," Randle said. "When you have good, consistent servers, it really helps win games."

The top-spin serve is one of the easiest serves to master. The ball is hit in a way that causes a forward spin, which continues to drop into the opponent's court. The spin allows the player the ability to serve in a certain direction.

"You can put a team to a disadvantage when you serve to their weakest passer," Randle said. "It's a great skill to have if you are good at it. Coaches will always look to you to serve in different areas on the floor."

Whatever move is performed on the floor, coaches agree the approach to the ball should always remain the same.

"Whether you are doing a spike or a tip, you should always approach the ball the same way," LaBauve said. "You can't change that up because the other team is always watching."