With seven members of last year’s 20-12, bi-district championship squad lost to graduation, fourth-year head coach Allison Smith could be looking at her greatest rebuilding project during her tenure in Brownwood. But Smith and company are pleased with the strides they’ve made thus far as the volleyball regular season kicks off with a pair of home matches Tuesday.
The Lady Lions welcome Wall to Warren Gym at 1 p.m., then will turn around and face Llano at 4 p.m.
Brownwood is coming off a trio of Friday scrimmages against San Angelo Central, Big Spring and Sterling City in which Smith was able to finalize her lineup heading into the first outings of the season.
“I was really proud of how we developed throughout the day,” Smith said. “Getting three really good scrimmages in helps us to see the girls in action and see them in play. Each one of them seemed to adjust to what we were telling them to do. We have a really coachable group this year. I’m excited to see their development throughout the rest of the season.”
Currently, the defense is ahead of the offense in terms of early-season development, but Smith anticipates the offense catching up with more repetitions now that the unit is set.
“Our defense all around on all three teams was really good,” Smith said. “We’re trying to get our offensive transitions corrected. Also, we have to make sure on the varsity side our tempo is fast like it needs to be. All in all is looked really well, it’s getting there and I’m really optimistic.”
Among the key returnees are senior libero Kassidy Wooten, the lone starter back, as well as fellow seniors Ibis Alvarado at setter and Ava Choate at outside hitter. Junior Molly Oliver has turned heads as a defensive specialist, while freshmen Hannah Deen, an outside hitter, and Aniah Hines, a middle blocker, have earned spots on the varsity roster.
“My seniors are going to be on the court the whole time,” Smith said. “They’re going to be a very strong group to lead us the rest of the way. We’re going to have some freshmen on the team. They’re really well-rounded and they’re going to develop a lot this year. And Molly is never not hitting the court and going after the ball. She always brings enthusiasm and is always playing hard.”
Following Tuesday’s match, the Lady Lions will square off against San Angelo Central, Granbury NCTA, Clyde, Gatesville, Midland Christian, Bangs, Lampasas and Burnet in pre-district action Brownwood will also compete in the Wimberley and Peaster tournaments.
“In our pre-district, we like to challenge the girls a little bit,” Smith said. “We want to see teams that are going to be comparable to the teams we’re playing in our district. I just want to see really good hustle, really good play. I tell them all the time that they’re the scrappiest group I’ve had. There’s always bodies hitting the floor, the ball doesn’t hit the ground often and seeing them frustrate the other team happens a lot.”
Brownwood’s District 6-4A slate begins with a trip to the Glen Rose Sept. 23 followed by road games against Graham, Stephenville and Mineral Wells. The Lady Lions’ final four district and regular-season games will all be contested at Warren Gym.
“Glen Rose and Stephenville are pretty strong programs and Graham is in there as well,” Smith said. “Mineral Wells isn’t quite as strong, but we’re going to be prepared no matter what.”
As for what it will take for the Lady Lions to make a run at the district championship, Smith said, “Just being really consistent with serve receive and getting our offense going. We want to make the job easier for the setters so our tempo can be as fast as it needs to be for our hitters.”
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BROWNWOOD VARSITY VOLLEYBALL 2022 SCHEDULE
Aug. 9 | Wall/Llano | TBA |
Aug. 12-13 | at Wimberley tournament | TBA |
Aug. 16 | at San Angelo Central | 6 p.m. |
Aug. 23 | Granbury NTCA | 6 p.m. |
Aug. 26-27 | at Peaster Showcase | TBA |
Aug. 30 | Clyde | 6 p.m. |
Sept. 6 | Gatesville | 6 p.m. |
Sept. 9 | at Midland Christian | 6 p.m. |
Sept. 13 | at Bangs | 6 p.m. |
Sept. 16 | at Lampasas | 6 p.m. |
Sept. 20 | Burnet | TBA |
Sept. 23 | at Glen Rose * | 4:30 p.m. |
Sept. 27 | at Graham * | 6 p.m. |
Sept. 30 | at Stephenville * | 4:30 p.m. |
Oct. 4 | at Mineral Wells * | 6 p.m. |
Oct. 7 | BYE | |
Oct. 11 | Glen Rose * | 6 p.m. |
Oct. 14 | Graham * | 4:30 p.m. |
Oct. 18 | Stephenville * | 6 p.m. |
Oct. 21 | Mineral Wells * | 4:30 p.m. |
* District 6-4A Game