Scott Keyes
Sports Scene
Steve Humm and the Alma volleyball team have seen their share of ups and downs during the early season, but the girls have continued to battle on the court with the hopes of turning things around as the year progresses.
“I have seen the players show what they are capable of, but we have not been able to do it consistently,” Humm said. “We also need to work on being mentally tougher. We have to learn to play every point like it is the deciding point.”
One major issue that has haunted the Panthers thus far this season is the inability of being able to put the same starting lineup on the court consistently.
“We just lost our best all-around player to sickness,” Humm said. “so others will need to pick up where she led the team. Positives so far has been the work ethic of the younger players. They have great attitudes and have great competitiveness.”
The lost player to whom Humm referred is senior Alyssa Jones. Humm described her as is an impact player who leads the team defensively, passing, and attacking. She is also team captain.
“Losing Alyssa is a big loss in the lineup,“ Humm said.
“Senior Sam Messer has shown improvement all season in the middle. She is also a good leader, a quiet leader, but she understands what it takes for this team to reach their goals. Sam puts the welfare of the team first, and that is what we need. We have other players capable of playing well, we are just struggling with consistency at this point. From match to match, set to set, or even every point, we have played very inconsistently.”
Humm has also watched the emergence of a pair of sophomores who have the ability to help the team when called.
Maddy Seeley at setter and Sydney McCarthy at libero have picked up their positions well, considering they were both question marks entering the season.
“Both of these players are sophomores and did not play in these positions last year,” Humm said. “They have shown a lot of improvement in two key positions on the team.”
Now entering the halfway point in the season, Humm said it’s up to the team to battle through the intangibles and to make progress.
“We need to pick up the pace working together and putting the team first,” he said. “Making decisions about what is best for the team on and off the court. Becoming a great team starts with team members putting their egos aside and playing for their teammates instead of themselves.”