By Benny Rogers/TVCC Sports Information
The sixth season of volleyball at Trinity Valley Community College begins Friday when the Lady Cardinals participate in the annual Dana Hatch Invitational Tournament at Tyler Junior College.
Though the roster is short on experience, Tosha Spain, the only head coach in the Lady Cardinals’ history, has not lowered her expectations for the 2015 season.
“Even with a very new roster, my expectations are high,” said Spain, who last year recorded her 100th victory in the collegiate ranks. “The girls have come in and put in a lot of hard work and are improving daily. That’s all I can ask for as a coach.”
Just two players return from last year’s best season in school history. Sophomores Alyssa Auringer (5-10, outside hitter) and Bruna Santos (5-11, right side) are back from a 31-9 season that saw the Lady Cardinals open with a school-record 14 straight wins.
Priscila Castro (5-10, outside hitter) was also on the roster last year, but unable to contribute due to injury.
To help bolster experience, Spain added Cisco college transfers Cory McCulloch (5-0, defensive specialist) and Danielle Anderson (6-1, middle), both from Cayuga.
Spain said she is not concerned with the overall lack of experience.
“This group has a chemistry that is hard to put together with a team,” Spain said. “We have talked a lot about why they are here.
“The first couple of weeks they had freshman fears. Through the practices and scrimmages, those have slowly started fading away. We talk a lot about confidence and they are starting to show it in themselves.”
The Lady Cardinals are scheduled to open against North Central Texas College at 10 a.m. Friday at the TJC tournament. They will also play Gadsden Community College at 2 p.m. Saturday, they face Wharton Junior College at 9 a.m. and West Plains College at 11 a.m.
“The thing about this group of girls is they all play a huge part in making things work,” Spain said. “The newcomers have come in ready to work and have not looked back.
“This team has been a lot of fun to watch mesh with each other. They truly care about each other on and off the court. They have a very strong bond already and it has shown in their play as well.”
Spain also described the Lady Cardinals as “very quick,” which she said would result in an exciting style of play.
The Lady Cardinals are scheduled to play in the annual Brookhaven tournament in Dallas next week (Aug. 28-29) and host Wharton in their home opener on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 5 p.m.
Conference action begins Wednesday, Sept. 9, at home against Tyler at 7 p.m.
“Our goal is to make a run at our first conference title,” Spain said. “We will be working one game at a time to make that happen.”