ST. GEORGE — Hurricane started off Region 9 volleyball play with a sweep of Pine View.
The game started off sloppy, with a number of service errors, hitting errors and miscommunication on both sides of the court.
Hurricane coach Content Marshall attributed the haphazard play to some first game jitters.
“I love it. It was a great game. It looked like a first game,” Marshall said. “We had our mistakes and our errors, but the girls always bounced back.”
Hurricane swept the Panthers, winning the first set 25-16, the second set 25-12 and the third set 25-13.
“We are a really young team, going against a pretty experienced team,” Pine View coach Jared Wilkinson said, adding that Hurricane is a team with every member playing year round. “We have no players who play year round.”
With this being Wilkinson’s first year at the helm, along with his co-coach Kammi Wilkinson, he said his goal is simple.
“Our big focus this year is competing and never getting down. Keeping a sustainable level of energy throughout the game. That’s a whole lot easier to sustain that energy when we aren’t making unforced errors”
On the other side of things, Marshall said she wants defense to be the Tigers’ focus.
“We want to be known for our defense. We want to be that scrappy team. We want to make sure we get a hand on every ball.”
In terms of players who stood out, Marshall mentioned her middle Shanley Wadsworth (6 kills, 1 solo block, and 3 block assists) and libero Abbie Hermanson (4 digs).
“Shanley Wadsworth, our middle, stepped it up tonight. She was getting a hand on everything, and trying to block everything. She was playing the net really well,” she said. “On the back row, Abbie (Hermanson) got a lot of digs, kept the ball alive, and worked hard.”
For Pine View, Wilkinson brought up senior outside hitter, Ellie Wilson.
“She’s our most experienced player, and she leads by giving effort. She never gives up, and she’ll pass half the court if we ask her to. She didn’t really get going offensively, but as far as defensively, she was the one fighting for us, and keeping us in the game.”
Overall, Marshall liked the consistency she saw from her team and is looking to improve going into their game on Thursday against Crimson Cliffs.
“I liked that they stayed consistent as far as pushing forward, getting over the mistakes, but it’s nice to know that we have something to work on.”
For Pine View, the young team has room to grow as their co-coaches are beginning to become more familiar with their team.
“This is our first year taking over the program, and so we’ve only had a limited time with these girls, but they’re getting better,” Wilkinson said. “They’re all developing, and now its just getting them to make the right play at the right time.”
The Panthers will take on Snow Canyon on Thursday to finish week one of Region 9 play.
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