~by Dustin Teays for The Scranton Journal
The Paton-Churdan Rockets volleyball team battled against a Rolling Valley Conference opponent this past week.
The Rockets faced off against Ar-We-Va Oct. 8 and battled hard throughout the match but ultimately fell 3-0 (14-25, 21-25, 13-25).
While they didn’t come away with a win, the Rockets are a young team, and there has been plenty of progress shown this year by the players.
“They still show up for every game ready to play and fight for every point. They can rally well with the ball and are working on finding ways to win the point on a rally,” Head Coach Makayla Sparr said. “They have grown as a team and are improving every day. They are getting more aggressive at the net and are working on improving their attacking skills.”
The Rockets are continuing through the end of the season and still have plenty of action left on the calendar. With that in mind, there are still areas the players and the coaches are looking to improve to close out the year.
“We are focused on getting more kills at the net by finding those open spots and setting it up on offense with our digs and sets,” Sparr concluded.
One benefit to this year’s team is that there is only one senior in Grace Cullum who will be finishing out her last year for the Rockets. So far this season, Cullum has been a leader for the team contributing the highest number of assists and being near the top in serve efficiency, digs and aces. The Rockets will have a busy week ahead. They were scheduled to take on Colo-Nesco on Tuesday and then the Ogden Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17.
The Rockets will close out their week with the Rolling Valley Conference Tournament beginning at 9 am Oct. 19 at the West Harrison High School as the conference will look to crown its champion.
The Rockets will open up the first round of postseason volleyball when they host the Madrid Tigers on Oct. 21 for the Class 1A Region 5 first round. Both teams will be looking to continue their season with a win and hopes to play in Coralville at the Xtream arena.
