Charles Hays Secondary School junior girls volleyball team still has some work to do before zones competition in a few weeks.
But with one play day to go before the Rainmakers are put to the test, head coach Paul Picard is seeing improvements as the season goes on.
READ MORE: Charles Hays volleyball teams build toward zones
“We’re playing more cohesive as a team, and showing better communication when we’re out there,” Picard said. “They’re also getting more competitive and getting more enjoyment out of playing the games.”
Picard was referring to the increased effort she saw from her team during the play day hosted at CHSS on Oct. 13. Six teams — including teams from Bulkley Valley Christian School, Smithers Secondary School, Hazelton Secondary School, Skeena Middle School, Haida Gwaii and Caledonia — made the trip to Prince Rupert where they competed in a series of matches throughout the day.
The junior Rainmakers went 0-4 for the weekend, but were able to keep pace with their opposition in each match. They lost their first game to Smithers 17-25, 25-22 and 8-15; Hazelton 15-25, 19-25 in their second match; Caledonia 7-25 and 22-25 in their third match; and Bulkley Valley 6-25 and 13-25 in their fourth and final match of the day.
READ MORE: Senior girls volleyball team goes for provincial glory
Despite the losses, Picard said she saw her players making extra efforts to get to balls and extend rallies, which she wasn’t seeing at the beginning of the season.
The team will travel to Smithers for their next play day on Oct. 17 before zones competition in Hazelton. Picard said she wants to continue working on the team’s passing in order create more opportunities for offence.
“We’ll be working on that before zones for sure,” she said. “It’s about getting the ball to the setter so we can run some plays.”
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