Quick Hits: Volleyball hosts annual green & white scrimmage
Emma Eakin, Middle Blocker Sophomore, spikes a ball across the net at a North Texas volleyball scrimmage. The scrimmage was on Saturday at the Mean Green Volleyball Center.
Courtney Anderson
The Mean Green volleyball team hosted its annual preseason Green and White scrimmage on Saturday night.
The evening began with the women having a lighthearted warm-up where they sang and danced to artists such as Beyoncé, Drake and DLow. After running multiple drills, head coach Andrew Palileo turned the microphone over to the players, where they introduced each other, and the lone senior, Amy Henard, did a short dance for the team and crowd.
Before the scrimmage actually began, the team did a warm-up round while assistant coach Vinh Nguyen explained to the audience what they have been working on this offseason. He mentioned achieving a faster offensive play the team refers to as “ghost” and two new defensive plays called “slide” and “perimeter.”
“Now that Carnae is gone we have to rebuild the system a little bit to accommodate the players and bring forth the strengths we have as a team now,” Palileo said. “We’re just emphasizing new plays more now than what we did in the past.”
At the beginning of the first set, no team had an outright lead, as both sides jostled for control.
The turn of events came about when freshman LekaLeka Kiner-Falefa began to serve, which ended up giving the white team a lead they would not relinquish, defeating the green team 25-18.
During the second set, the white team was able to maintain their advantage, leading 12-8 and only growing their edge over the green team. The set ended with the white team dominating the scoreboard 25-10.
“One of our biggest strengths this year is definitely going to be our defense,” Henard said. “[LekaLeka] has come in and done an outstanding job so far.”
Other Notes
- Henard admitted losing Carne as their “go-to girl” is a weakness the team will have to overcome, but hopes to step up and also sees the perks with having a new type of team.
- The women will play in the North Texas Challenge tournament in Denton beginning next Friday, Aug. 26, when they open with a contest against the University of Nevada.
- The first Conference USA game will not be until Sept. 23 when North Takes takes on the University of Southern Mississippi.
Featured Image: Emma Eakin, Middle Blocker Sophomore, spikes a ball across the net at a North Texas volleyball scrimmage. The scrimmage was on Saturday at the Mean Green Volleyball Center. Tomas Gonzalez | Visuals Editor
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