The Knights have some work ahead of them.
After losing three straight sets to Innisfail on Oct. 17, it is clear the Central Alberta Christian High School girls’ volleyball team has some skills to work on.
Coach Hans Doef said the team has a lot of raw talent and he is confident the girls can do better.
“We did not play up to the level that we can,” said Doef. “We didn’t play to win.”
While CACHS lost three consecutive sets last Thursday, none of them were by any means blowouts. In fact, none of the sets were won by more than a two-point margin. “There were some glimmers of light and hope.”
Consistency was a problem for the Knights last Thursday, as it has been much of the season.
Despite making some stellar plays and pulling ahead of their opponents more than a few times, they couldn’t maintain the momentum to pull off a win.
Doef said it was frustrating to watch his players make an error and then make exactly the right play the next time the opportunity arose and vice versa.
Doef said the team needs to become more aggressive on the court and work on putting together a complete game. As the score got closer to the end of a set in favour of either team, it seemed as though the Knights got less confident, which led to them losing the match.
“When it comes to the critical moments, (we) kind of play scared,” said Doef. “That’s what happens when you over-analyze and are hesitant.”
Doef said the Knights started the season off strong, but have fallen into a slump. He added the Knights still have a lot of volleyball ahead of them to work through their issues.
While the Knights are a young team and it shows, they also have a lot of talent, said Doef. However, that talent needs to be polished and the girls have a lot of basic fundamental skills they need to work on.
Doef added they are also a small team, which makes them coachable. In addition to being talented and coachable, the Knights are also very balanced.
The only obstacle is developing that balance of skills so they all become consistent on the court.