Cobras volleyball continues to dominate

Volleyball season is progressing and the Lady Cobras are heating up. With their victory over Lewis and Clark on Sept. 18, they look better than ever.

That win not only marked their seventeenth of the season, but also secured their record in the Mid-West Athletic Conference at a perfect 3-0. The victory also stretched their winning streak to an impressive 10 games after the Kankakee Invitational.

The Kankakee Invitational is an important tournament and a big boost of confidence for the Lady Cobras. Not only did they demolish the field, but in doing so, did not lose a single set. The Lady Cobras went a perfect 15-0 in their five games; something any team should be proud of.

Regarding the team’s current winning streak, Head Coach Cliff Hastings had this to say, “I think our losses early were important for us, as it really exposed a few important weaknesses in our team.”

“But, the good news is that those weaknesses weren’t in our personnel; they were simply in what our girls were doing,” Hastings continued. “Thus, we’ve invested some really hard work and focus in practice to improve those things. Lots of credit goes to the girls in their efforts at practice that led to the current success they are having in matches,”

Shelby Geers, middle-hitter, responded, “I think it’s good for us to peak now instead of too early in the season. I think we will have good momentum going into Regionals and carrying us into Nationals.”

Megan Scharnett, libero, replied, “I feel like the target on our backs has gotten even bigger now that we’re 17-6.”

Getting off to a slow start is something every team faces during a season. What creates a good season in the end is trying to stay confident and build off of it.

Getting a helping hand from the sophomores on the team is a big step. Having as many freshmen as Parkland does on the team, they also get an additional boost from them.

When asked who has stepped up the most on the team, Geers said, “Allyn Krenz, she’s one of our right sides. She is a really big block on the outside and she’s a go-to hitter for us.”

“Our sophomore leadership has been outstanding, and the four of them are playing very well right now. Shelby Geers currently leads the country in total number of kills, total number of block assists and total blocks,” Hastings responded.

“Additionally, she is fifth in the country in hitting percentage showing not only success in aggregate but also in efficiency. Megan Scharnett is also leading the country in total number of digs. I’m really impressed with how well they have progressed since last season and the first few weeks of this season,” Hastings concluded.

Scharnett added, “Allyn Krenz and both of our setters have been standing out a lot, especially as freshmen. I feel like they have taken on a pretty big position, filling in for Melanie Moore, who we lost last year. All three of them have really stepped up and have taken on the leadership of the outside hitters and setters.”

With the upcoming annual Parkland Invite September 21-23, the Lady Cobras are looking to not only continue their winning streak, but also repeat their performance from last year’s tournament, where they went undefeated.

“I never worry too much about undefeated, wins, losses or how many sets it takes to win,” Hastings replied. “Now that I’m in my fourth year coaching at Parkland, I know what our team needs to look like to contend for a national championship and that’s where my eye constantly resides.”

Geers said, “I think it should be good for us, there’s a couple teams that are in our region that are playing so those should be good games for us to come out and fight for. I think it will be good for us to get a couple more wins as well. I would expect to go undefeated.”

Always going into a match or tournament with a full head of steam is good for any team. For Parkland though, they are doing much more than that. They are beating teams handily, which shows how good this team actually is, despite a tough start to the season.

The Lewis and Clark game was an example of how dominant Parkland can be. There was a tough start to the match, but the Lady Cobras came out with a stunning win.

Regarding Tuesday’s game, Hastings said, “I was actually a bit disappointed with our effort on Tuesday – especially in the first set. When we have a home match, we should be so excited to play in front of our home crowd and execute those things from practice. However, on the positive, we responded well in sets 2 and 3 and cleaned up our play immensely.”

Scharnett added, “This game was big in that if we lost it could determine how we do in region and at the same time we knew that it had to be done. It was a boost, because we are now 3-0 in conference, and it’s good to know that we’re first in region, and this weekend against ICC will be another tough test to see if we can put another win under our belt for seventeen years running.”

Knowing that to a beat a team, playing well is something every team must do. The main focus is to recover from a bad set and win, which is what the Lady Cobras did Tuesday night and secured yet another conference victory.