Fall Sports: Cooper enthusiastic about Lady Wildcats' season

First-year coach Bethany Cooper is optimistic about the upcoming volleyball season for Banner County.

The Lady Wildcats have a young group even through they return nine players from last year's squad.

"Things are going pretty well," Cooper said. "I've actually been pretty excited and impressed with the group I have this year. From our record last year, it definitely does not depict who we are this year as a team. It's a new group of girls, a new approach, a new attitude. As you can hear in the background, there's a lot of cheering and a lot of team support, a lot of positive encouragement."

Some key returnees for Banner County include sophomore MaKenna Dahlgrin, who was second on the team a year ago with 53 kills and 20 blocks.

Senior Paige Cross had 31 kills a year ago in addition to tying for the team lead with 34 aces.

Others with varsity experience who are back include Shay White, Danielle Flick, Savannah Jordan, Sierra Flores and Emily Singleton.

Even though some of the returning experience is young, Cooper said it will be beneficial heading into the season.

"Having any volleyball experience, seeing the game, being a part of the game, is very helpful - even if they aren't in a major leadership position or if they don't necessarily have start time," she said. "I believe we have four returning starters, but it's just for them to see the game and the upper classmen from previous years, how they deal with things and sometimes deal with them the same way but also making different choices and not dealing with them the same way.

"I know that our seniors have learned a lot in that realm and they've come really far and been great leaders so far this year, and I am certain they will be the entire year. That's always positive to have really good leadership to pull from in that group itself."

Cooper, who will also teach second grade this year, said she has also received plenty of help from her sister, Carissa, who was the team's coach last season. She has received help in a variety of ways, including practice ideas, handbooks and forms.

"She had a lot of that done already, and we think a lot alike on those things," she said. "It was very, very helpful."

One team building activity the squad is collectively doing is reading The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work and Team with Positive Energy. The book, written by Jon Gordon, has been endorsed by such figures as Clemson University football coach Dabo Swinney, Los Angeles Clippers basketball coach Doc Rivers, and various others from the ranks of college and professional sports. Gordon also spoke at the Nebraska coaches clinic.

"(Gordon is) an inspirational speaker who was at the Nebraska coaches clinic. He wrote a book called the Energy Bus and we're reading that as a team, and I think that's helped a lot with the positive environment," Cooper said.

Heading into the season, Cooper said the team's strengths include dedication and the willingness to put in the necessary hard work.

"We are a varied group and we're young, we have a lot of young, inexperienced players, but yet we have hard workers. They're all very hard workers," she said. "Dedication, unity and positive attitude, so all things that definitely help a team to flourish. We have all those characteristics to learn a lot this year. I think we'll be very competitive."

The first-year head coach said some of the things that the team needs to improve on include ball handling and working under pressure.

"We're a young group so we have a lot of learning as far as skills, ball handling, how to work on the court under pressure," Cooper said. "We've been going through a lot of drills, a lot of games, to help with that. Causing chaos on purpose so they know how to act under pressure, because chaos happens a lot in volleyball and on the court. We've been doing all kinds of drills in order to meet that need. We just basically need them to get a lot of experience in a short amount of time."