By CINDY CROSBY
Cindyc4@yahoo.com
The Lady Cougar Volleyball team begins the 2020 season at home against VII-AAAA foe Hilton Head High School Thursday Sept. 10. The junior varsity is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. and varsity will follow at 7 p.m. It will be a shortened season for the Lady Cougars as they will face only region competition due to COVID-19.
“Going into our season this year, expectations are high,” said first-year head coach Hannah Perritte. “I know what these girls are capable of. I have been coaching most of them since 2017. Seeing their skills grow every year is a rewarding thing to see.
“I’ve taught some girls how to serve or how to approach the net and play defense,” said Perritte.
“Seeing them now, you’d never know just a couple years ago they didn’t know how to do that. Our biggest challenge we will face this year is confidence. The skill level is most definitely there. In the past, when faced with a tough challenger, they tended to shut down quick. A big goal for me is to prevent that. I want to teach them to keep their confidence and reassure them that they can do it.
“Hilton Head will be one of the toughest competitors in our region,” said Perritte. “We can most definitely hang with them. But again, once their confidence shuts down, so does their game. If I can keep their confidence up and keep reassuring them, I think we will do great things this season.
“We have six seniors this year – Grace Cox, Makenzy Hand, Whitley Weathers, Hannah Robertson, Chelsea Palmer and Natalie Brooks,” said Perritte.
“I know they could all play at the next level if they put the work in. I want to have more volleyball players sign this year than previously and grow that number moving forward in the years to come. I want this program to grow and I believe we can make it happen.”
