Corbin Volleyball

Last season was one of the best ever for the Corbin Lady Redhounds on the volleyball court. The Lady Redhounds finished the regular season with just three losses (19-3) and their first district title.
However, the post-season was too short-lived. After a 2-0 win over Bell County, the Lady Redhounds faced Rockcastle County. The Lady Rockets won that game 2-0 in two close contests. Corbin coach Alecia Elwell thought Corbin got a bad draw and should have been in the 13th regional finals instead of losing to Rockcastle County in the semifinals.
It’s a new season with a lot of old faces. Can Corbin do better than last year? Elwell thanks so. “We only lost one starter from last year,” Elwell said. “I have both of my setters back and they are running the offense really well.”
“We made a couple of tweaks in our defense this year, hopefully that will shore us up this year against the bigger guns and the teams that keep the ball going.” she said. “Against the teams we have been traditionally strong, I hope we stay that way.”
“We need to stay focused,” said Elwell. “Sometimes we have a little trouble with that in practice, staying on task. It is always difficult when the new girls do not have any volleyball background, so we have to go back and start at the beginning with them while we are trying to push forward with the varsity.
“This is the strongest varsity team I’ve ever had,” said Elwell. “We don’t have any true weakness at any position. We have a real solid middle core and real solid setting core.”
“I would put up my two outside hitters against anybody in this area,” said Elwell. “They are really strong and still young, a junior and a sophomore.”
She has worked her team hard to prepare for the 2006 season. “We started with an EKU camp and got some good intensive practices on that day,” said the fourth year coach.
Elwell, who is 54-24-3 in her previous three seasons has beefed up the 2006 schedule to prepare Corbin for the post-season. During the regular season Corbin will play two teams they have never beaten, Rockcastle County and South Laurel. “We will play Rockcastle and South Laurel. We are going to the Pulaski County Tournament and the Bluegrass Invitational.
“We will be meeting much stronger opponents in the actual season,” said Elwell. “Hopefully that will get us ready for post-season.”
“Last year was our first trip to the region and you need to go once, so you can get an ideal about it and be competitive in it,” she said. “I expect to be way more competitive this year. I hope to match up real well with the stronger teams in the area.”
“The seniors have set it in their mind, that they really want to win the region this year,” said Elwell. “With them leading the team, I think we can get on focus for that.”
Corbin has been ranked preseason fifth in Southeast Kentucky (regions 12-16). “That really gives us something to aspire to. To be ranked that high in this whole area is great. If we deserve it great, if we don’t let us have something to work for,” Elwell said.
“We start off against Whitley County, so we have to come out and prove ourselves,” said Elwell. “We can talk all we want and say we can do this and that. but until that the wheel meets the pavement, its not going to do us any good to talk. We have to show it on the court.”
“We lost four games last year,” said Elwell. “Two of them were to Whitley County. When we turned around and beat them in district, that was so amazing to us. I know they felt like they should have won because they had already beat us twice.”
“We turned the tables on them in 2002 when that was the very same in reverse,” said Elwell. “I was happy for the girls, it obviously meant we had focused on the district. One loss was to Cumberland and I still blame that bus ride down there. But, we had also had an illness right before and had to change the lineup.”
“And of course, the last loss was to Rockcastle,” said Elwell. “We have yet to beat Rockcastle during the entire time we have been playing volleyball. So, if there is a goal in our careers, it is finally how to beat Rockcastle. They have such a tremendous program and he (Larry Lee) starts them young with a feeder program.”
Elwell will lean to her seniors Michelle Lowe and Megan Taylor. “This is Michelle’s fifth year and her third year setting,” said Elwell. “She has come so far and has worked really hard at camp.”
“Laura Dzugan will be our libro and will come in for my sophomore Tamara Blanton, who is doing great in the front row,” said Elwell. “My other senior is Mindie Coppock, who will be a back row specialist, coming in places where she needs to.”
“My juniors are Megan Lewis, our setter, who is in her fourth year, her second as the varsity setter,” said Elwell. “Sarah Davis is our other junior who has really grown and is hitting the ball really well.”
“Andria Shirar is going to be in her third year as a sophomore,” added Elwell. “Her big strength is her defense on the back row. She also has a jump serve which will be really helpful for us.”
The sky is the limit for the Corbin Lady Redhounds. “They will be their worst own enemy,” said Elwell. “It will be on their shoulders. If we get beat by some of the teams around here, it will be because we beat ourselves. They have the talent and have the experience, it will be up to them to show up on the court every time we play.”