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Lady Vikes confident heading to first game

Lady Vikes Paige Kmetz works on her serve during an Aug. 25 practice. Williams plays their first game Aug. 30 with Flagstaff Basis at home. Wendy Howell/WGCN

Lady Vikes Paige Kmetz works on her serve during an Aug. 25 practice. Williams plays their first game Aug. 30 with Flagstaff Basis at home. Wendy Howell/WGCN

WILLIAMS, Ariz. - Williams Vikings volleyball head coach Chesney Grantham is busy working to fill a few gaps on the varsity team.

"We're coming back with two seniors and three experienced juniors," Grantham said. "But we have some pretty important spots to fill.

The Vikings, who won their section last season and reached the first round of the state tournament, lost three seniors to graduation, including two starters, Dara Bowdon and Andrea Hernandez.

Bowdon was a starting outside hitter and Hernandez was the team's setter.

Grantham said despite having a core group of experienced players, the team is in a rebuilding process. She said three of her five returning starters will be playing in new positions. Senior Rheanon Koss is moving from opposite side to middle blocker, Rylie Heap is moving from middle blocker to inside and Destinee Pennington is moving from right side libero to middle libero.

"Luckily enough the majority of them played summer ball so we kind of worked on that transition this summer," Grantham said.

Grantham said she is also working to introduce new players to the varsity team. She is looking to move junior Veronica Hernandez to the varsity team as a setter and bring freshmen Maegen Ford and Madi Olson up to assist.

"So right now we've filled in and we're running a 6-2," Grantham said. "We are just trying to take this time to mesh together with the new girls."

The Lady Vikes won their section with an 11-0 record last season and finished the regular season with an overall 18-4 record.

Grantham is pleased with the growth of the program and has 14 players for the junior varsity team this year.

"That's good because it builds for our varsity," she said. "That JV experience will help them."

Grantham is familiar with many of the players from working with them during the middle school spring season. She said the new freshmen knew exactly what to expect from her when they started high school and she now has three of them travelling with the varsity.

"They know my mechanics so it made it an easy transition to high school," she said. "Because I've had them in previous years, they already know the basics and what I expect of them."

Many of the players took advantage of a summer ball program Grantham offered this summer. She said the program gave the girls a jump on their passing and setting skills.

"Summer ball is very, very helpful," she said. "It is where they get the hang of their position. We worked on serving, transitioning, passing and setting. Right now is a smoothing period."

Grantham was pleased with the play of the varsity team during their scrimmage with Salome Aug. 20. She said it was the first game the six starters had played together.

"They just did really well," she said. "They always play really hard for me and I'm always very proud of them."

Grantham is being assisted by Alyssa Dennison. She and Grantham divvy up the junior varsity and varsity duties and each bring unique skills to the team. Grantham works with the girls on setting, serving and playing defense and Dennison works on hitting and blocking.

"She helps me a lot," Grantham said about Dennison. "She is good at helping me figure out what our strengths and weaknesses are, so we are able to break them up and I can work on those certain positions and she can work with her positions and we can work together."

Grantham said her goals for the year are to win the section (now region) again and make the state tournament.

"I'd like to go further than the first round this year," she said. "I'd like for us to be a strong competitor at state this year."

The Arizona Interscholastic Association realigned schools this year and restructured the program similar to what it was five years ago. Last year the AIA divided schools into Divisions and Sections, this year it is Conferences and Regions.

Last year Williams was in Division V Section III, which included Arizona Charter, Ash Fork, Bagdad, Mayer, Mingus Mountain, Mohave Accelerated, Phoenix Day School, Salome, Seligman, Telesis Preparatory and Williams.

This year Williams is in the 1A Conference, Central Region which includes Ash Fork, Basis, Cibecue, Grand Canyon, Joseph City, Mayer, Mogollon, Seligman and Williams.

Grantham anticipates Mogollon, Joseph City and Ash Fork as the toughest competition Williams faces in the Central Region this season.


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