Next Saturday, the Bradwell volleyball team will be in Waycross for its first three matches of the season.
Lady Tigers head coach DeAndre Davis said it will be a true test to see just how far summer conditioning has helped a team he has to rebuild from last year.
“I lost 95 percent of my team last year to graduation,” he said.
Davis said he gathered up potential players and spent the entire summer doing voluntary conditioning.
“We averaged around 35 girls during the summer,” he said. “We were in the weight room two days out the week and did foot work drills the whole summer.”
He said the girls began to mesh well, and 20 girls came out Aug. 1 for the team’s official tryouts.
Davis said his team will be young. Kiera Martin is the only person on the squad who played on last year’s team. As of now there are no seniors on the squad, but he sees potential in the incoming players.
“Emily Ramsey is a talented freshman who moved in from Pennsylvania,” Davis said adding she is filling in well as the team’s setter. “Melanie Forshee is a junior who moved here from Virginia. She only has one year of experience, but is very athletic and can play anywhere.”
Davis said Whitney Anderson plays volleyball, runs track and is athletic enough to play several positions on the court. He said Anderson has also displayed leadership qualities.
The coach said Kymberly Beasley has improved significantly since the early summer and said Beasley will be a blocker to be reckoned with, “once she realizes her full potential,” he said.
Davis said freshman Dusseigneur Perez also will contribute to the team.
“I am excited about the season,” Davis said. “We have 33 matches this year, 10 more than we had last year. The good thing about being young is that our future is bright for at least two more years.”
BI squad features many new girls
Sign up for our e-newsletters