Sports

Lady Wildcats look to make noise in AISA

By Griffin Pritchard
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Edgewood Academy’s volleyball program and its coach are still getting acquainted with one another.

The program is in its second year and the coach is in her first ever on the high school level.

But the goal is still the same �” just win.

“We need to pass well, to serve well and to communicate,” said Angela Cook, coach of the Lady Wildcats volleyball team and the school’s associate athletic director.

“I think it’s all coming along. We’ve been working on passing and communicating on the floor. Last week we started bringing everything together, and I was very impressed with the effort.”

That effort will be displayed for the Wildcat-faithful Aug. 25 when the Lady Wildcats play host to Prattville’s East Memorial Christian Academy beginning at 4:30 p.m. The varsity will follow the junior varsity.

“We still have a long way to go, but we are getting there,” said Cook.

The former Huntingdon College coach can rely on the effort of her returning players from a year ago to be key role-players for the 2008 squad.

“Our setters are strong,” said Cook. “Haley Johnson and Kayla Sellers have been working really hard and I think we are going to pull some of our junior varsity players up to play in varsity matches.”

That means a few of the younger Lady Wildcats will be playing double-duty in matches where the junior varsity competes before the varsity.

“I think one of our strengths is that our j.v. squad is very athletic,” said Cook. “And I think that they are going to be able to come up and help us out a lot during the season.”

Cook being a first-year coach in the Alabama Independent School Association could be considered a double-edged sword. Schools are not going to know what to expect out of Edgewood and the Lady Wildcats may not know what to expect out of other teams.

“It won’t take us long to figure out who the top hitters for our opponents are going to be,” said Cook. “I know some of the programs. Clarke Prep won state last year and we play them towards the end of the season. I know Autauga is in their second year, I think. Tuscaloosa will be pretty strong. Southern Academy will be tough. One thing that I’ve been teaching our girls is to go out there and focus on us and make sure that we get better after each game.”

After hosting EMCA to start the season, Edgewood will travel to Crenshaw Academy (Aug. 28) and then Southern Academy (Sept. 4) before playing host to Monroe (Sept. 8) and Lowndes (Sept. 9)

Both home matches begin at 4 p.m., and will feature the junior varsity and the varsity.

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