By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director

SAND ROCK – It’s been two years now that Sand Rock has not reached what head coach Lisa Bates calls the standard of Lady Wildcat volleyball.

Last season, Sand Rock finished as area runner-up to eventual Class 2A state champion Pleasant Valley. The Lady Wildcats (21-24) did reach the North Super Regional in Hoover, but had an early exit after being swept by Final Four participant Winston County.

“I’m ready to get back to being really good again,” Bates said. “I’m not saying we were terrible, but we weren’t where we needed to be as far as getting to the state tournament, winning area championships, competing for a county championship. That’s what we’re supposed to expect. We want to get back to that.”

A big reason why Sand Rock hasn’t reached those standards the past two years is the Lady Wildcats have struggled with putting the ball away.

“In volleyball, you’ve got to have some hitting. You can be good on defense, and that’s great and all, but you’ve got to put the ball away,” Bates said. “We’ve got to have that. We’re hoping to have more of that this year.”

So far during the summer, the Lady Wildcats have yet to have that key go-to hitter emerge. That’s due in large part to the Lady Wildcats not having senior outside hitter Paitlyn Hughes and sophomore outside hitter Addisyn McMichen. Both players have been recovering from injuries. Hughes, a returning All-Cherokee County selection, posted 527 digs, 163 kills, 37 aces, 13 assists and six blocks last season.

But the good news is several of the other Lady Wildcats have been getting playing time at other positions over the summer, which has helped Sand Rock build some depth.

“I feel like we’ve gotten good at other things,” Bates said. “I thought this summer we did a good job with serve receive, passing the ball and getting it set up. We’re just missing that punch to put it away. Hopefully we’ve got some girls who will step it up and put some balls away this year. That’s what we’re struggling with.”

Senior Maddie Clanton returns at setter. An all-county selection last season, Clanton collected 752 assists, 299 digs, 69 kills, 40 aces, and 29 blocks.

Senior Molly Grace Lay played libero last season for the Lady Wildcats. She’s one of the players who has been playing at outside hitter during Hughes and McMichen’s absence.

Senior Emma Sipsy is also returning to the Lady Wildcat lineup. She played right side for Sand Rock last season and will play some middle and outside this year.

Junior Olivia Browder will also be playing the middle. Bates notes that Browder has really improved her game. Junior Taylyn Warren will also possibly play some middle, but will mainly be on the right side. Junior Macy Martin will also play some on the right side and will backup Clanton at setter. Sophomore Ashyln McMichen will also see playing time on the right side. Junior Aubie Camp will be playing at libero. Bates said she’s had “an incredible summer.”

“I don’t think you can call us scrappy yet,” Bates said. “I want to be, and I feel like we’re going to have to be, but this group is not quite there yet. We’ve got the potential to be. We’ll see. We’ve just got to find better ways to be competitive than just pounding the ball. That’s not something we’re doing right now.”

Sand Rock competes in Class 2A, Area 15 this season. Other teams in the area include Collinsville, Fyffe and Gaston. The Lady Wildcats open the season on Thursday at Collinsville.