This year’s Enid Pacer volleyball team has a new look, and a will and desire that that the season will turn around and they can make a run at a Big 8 Conference Championship.
First, some history – in Enid Pacer Head Coach Michael Nelson’s first season last year, they had 18 wins and 12 losses, finishing runner-up in the Big 8 Conference before losing to Owasso in the first round of Regionals.
That team had 4 senior starters, so replacing them has been no small chore. Enter Junior star Outside Hitter Kyleigh Whitehead, and 4 other Junior rotation players to a fairly inexperienced squad. Whitehead has been statistically dominant and will likely garner post season awards with her play. Senior Right Side Hitter Faith Tommy, a newcomer to Varsity, has been a critical piece to this year’s wins with her positive attitude and constant cheering for the squad, which have been noticed by opposing coaches.
Coach Nelson decided to beef up this year’s schedule and throw the team into the fire, to hopefully prepare them for the rigors of the post season.
Because of the difficult schedule, the team is only 6-11 as of this writing (9/14), but Coach Nelson believes they are learning from their mistakes, getting better and it will only help them later in the season.
As usual, the first goal is to win the Oklahoma 7 Conference championship. With matches against the Putnam City schools, Choctaw and Ponca City, Coach Nelson believes they measure up and will compete with Choctaw for the championship this year. Choctaw was able to pull out the close win in their first match, but he believes the ladies are improving and has a great shot at beating them in the conference tournament October 6 in Choctaw. The regional tournament starts a week later, on October 12, location to be determined.
Coach Nelson says the future of Pacer Volleyball is bright as there is a ton of talent in the middle school programs, with Waller MS finishing second in two tournaments, and Emerson/Longfellow finishing 3rd in one. So come cheer on your Enid Pacer Volleyball team!
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