Frankenmuth volleyball finds success with ‘second-sport’ athletes - mlive.com

Mary Shelton realizes she doesn’t have a lot of strictly volleyball players on her Frankenmuth team.

But she knows she has a lot of athletes who play volleyball, something she appreciates.

Frankenmuth improved to 8-3 with a 3-1 win Wednesday over Swan Valley, beating the Vikings, 25-19, 25-16, 25-27, 25-19.

“This win will help us put some buy-in into the program,” Shelton said. “We’ve had some pretty good wins so far, but this is the win we needed against a very strong team. We’ve been approaching the year with a stepping-stone approach. We just keep taking those steps.”

Sophomore Audrey Geer led the Eagles with 14 kills, 11 digs and four aces, with Emma Kerkau adding 13 kills and Lexi Boyke 12 kills. Sarah Hauck had 47 assists for the 8-3 Eagles.

“I’m a very fortunate coach,” Shelton said. “We have some very competitive athletes. Out of my entire team of 14, we have seven or eight kids being recruited for various sports. For a lot of girls, this is their second sport. I understand that. But at the end of the day, my goal is that whatever they learn in volleyball, they’re able to use it in whatever they do.”

Boyke has committed to play basketball at Central Michigan, while Kerkau has a rowing scholarship offer from Michigan and a basketball offer from Hope. Brooklyn Compau and Faith Breinager expect to play softball in college, while Mary Richmond is one of the top girls cross country runners in the state.

“Audrey and Emma went off,” Shelton said. “Audrey’s volleyball IQ is very high for a sophomore. She plays on one of the best travel teams in Michigan. She started as a freshman. When you’re a freshman, it’s hard to find your way. She’s found her place. She has a swagger that has amplified her game.

“This was Emma’s best game this season. She’s an exemplary basketball player, along with Lexi. They’re such gamers in basketball, and they apply it to volleyball.”

Shelton is happy to see their progress after a difficult 2019-20 season. It was Shelton’s first year as the Frankenmuth varsity coach, but she had to navigate the different COVID restrictions.

“Last year, I don’t think I gave my best effort … I took it as a coaching loss for me personally,” Shelton said. “Last year, because of COVID, it was really hard to do the things that I know. I wish I had a do-over. Then maybe this year would be better than it is.”

Frankenmuth is 8-3 going into a quad event at Byron.

“There are definitely things I would have changed last year, but it was really hard keeping kids connected while they’re separated,” Shelton said. “But they’re very competitive athletes who just keep taking the next steps in practice and in games.

“I’m really excited for the second half.”

MORE

Change at top of Michigan high school volleyball rankings

Adblock test (Why?)

Article From & Read More ( Frankenmuth volleyball finds success with ‘second-sport’ athletes - mlive.com )
https://ift.tt/2ZqeW2T
Sport

Bagikan Berita Ini