As the Richard Montgomery High School volleyball team gears up for another exciting season, they have their sights set on achieving great success. With a strong group of returning players and some talented new additions, Coach Gretchen Barber-Strunk has high hopes for the team this year. One of the key factors contributing to the team's success this season is the top returning players from last season.
Among the 12 returning players, there are some notable standouts such as Ema Djordjevic, Corinne Howard, Ana Djordjevic, Amy Ye, Ellie Mitchell, and Saesha Dhote. These players were crucial to the team's success last year and have proven themselves to be skilled, dedicated, and leaders both on and off the court. Coach Barber-Strunk emphasizes that hard work, perseverance, and mental toughness are key to the team's success.
She also stresses the importance of staying humble, working together, trusting each other, and showing up for the team day in and day out during the season. These values, along with setting small, achievable goals, will help the team ultimately reach their ultimate goal of making it to the state finals.
When it comes to new players making an immediate impact on the team, Coach Barber-Strunk is excited about the addition of Katie Mitchell. She describes Mitchell as a talented, skilled, and powerful player who will bring a lot to the team. In terms of team captains, Ema Djordjevic and Corinne Howard have been chosen to lead the team this year.
Coach Barber-Strunk looks for qualities such as leadership, effective communication, mental toughness, trust, and experience in her team captains. These two players stood out as natural leaders and will be instrumental in guiding the team towards success. Creating team chemistry and camaraderie is crucial for any successful team, and Coach Barber-Strunk puts a lot of focus on building trust, getting to know each other on and off the court, and understanding the significance of each player's role on the team.
This may take some time away from skill practice, but the payoff is huge when the team can bond and support each other as a family. Motivating players to push themselves to their full potential can be a challenge, but Coach Barber-Strunk relies on the team's strong family dynamic and competitive nature to keep them striving for success.
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