Freeland’s volleyball team having success in ’18
John Raffel
Sports Scene
Freeland High School coach Penny Cook’s volleyball team is having a fabulous season and for many reasons.
Among the reasons is the presence of Cook, who has coached eight seasons at Freeland and 26 years of total coaching including at the junior college and NCAA Division III levels.
As of late October, Freeland was 20-9-6 overall and 3-0 in the conference.
“We are constantly working to reach our goals,” Cook said. “We have made steps toward those goals, but in the end we will evaluate that when the season is complete. We are pleased with our team’s accomplishments so far, and feel we have more yet to accomplish. We are currently sitting in first place in our conference with a 3-0 record. We have played some very good teams and have felt like we competed in every match.”
Among the other reasons for the team’s success has been the presence of Caitlinn Pistro, who leads the team in kills (209), aces (83), digs (230) and serve receptions (450). “She is the backbone of our offense and passing,” Cook said.
Lauren Moon is second on the team in digs (229) having earned her spot as the Libero after a couple of weeks played into our season. She also leads the team in serving percentage with 96 percent.
Elli Howard is currently second on the team in kills (132) and the top non-middle blocker (23).
Taylor Bakos leads the team in blocks (42) and kill percentage with .215.
“We are looking to finish strong while hoping to secure a TVC Central Championship,” Cook said. “We will move into districts with a first round draw against Swan Valley. We are hoping for a different outcome than last year’s district final match where we came up short in with a fifth set loss.
“This group of young ladies are just really nice girls to work with. Every day they come into the gym to get better. Everyone embraces their role on the team and do it to the best of their ability. That is what makes us both as good as we are and special to work with.”