Lady Flyer Volleyball to Rely on Strong Contingent of local Players

Two weeks into the preseason, Sandhills Community College volleyball players possess an overall familiarity with each other that normally requires a full season to develop.

"I think what is special about this team is that four of the 12 played on the same team in high school so there is a built in chemistry already," head coach Alicia Riggan said at Thursday's practice.

Riggan is a North Moore High School alum as are sophomores Cheyenne Brown and Holly Martindale, and freshmen Paige Garner and Leah Salzwedel. Sophomore Chandler Adams (Union Pines High School) and freshman Erica Groff (Pinecrest) also hail from Moore County high schools.

The Lady Flyers are scheduled to play an alumni squad at 11 a.m. on Saturday in the first of three home scrimmages. They open the regular season at Wake Tech on August 24. The first home match is against Johnson and Wales on August 29.

For the first time in two years, Riggan (125-65 in seven years at SCC), will not have the presence 6-foot Tiffany Hicks and 5-11 Courtney Grant at the net. Hicks was the Region X Player of the Year and Grant was an All-Region X first team selection. The pair accounted for 60 per cent of the team's kills. 

Brown, a second team all-region pick as a setter a year ago, outside hitters Adams and Martindale, and libero Kaylee Lopez-Rosario (Hoke County) are the returnees. Groff is also a libero. Salzwedel and Zoe Hanks (Northwood Temple) are setters. McKenna Parson (Lee Christian) is a defensive specialist.

Also up front Morgan Bridges (Southern Lee) and Derriya Robertson (Camp Lejeune) are outside hitters and the 5-11 Garner and 5-8 Morgan McCarthy (Carolina Christian) are middle hitters.

"We are super-excited to be returning three starters and four overall," Riggan says. "That is the most since 2010 when we returned five. The biggest adjustment for the freshmen is the pace of the game along with having a new coach and new teammates. It can be overwhelming. Our sophomores are going to be great leaders."

A libero throughout her career at North Moore, Brown set Flyer single match (51) and season (852) records in assists. She was also second on the team in digs and service aces. Chandler, the team's most versatile and athletic player was fourth in kills, second in assists and second in digs. The Flyer coaches voted Martindale the team's most improved player at the end of last season.

Lopez-Rosario, who saw limited time at libero behind all-region selection Kim Ware last year, has been one of the bright spots of the pre-season.

"The difference from last year is like night and day," Riggan says. "She's more vocal and energetic. I told her I didn't know what to expect, but it's been one of the best surprises ever."

Among the newcomers, Garner, a conference player of the year as a high school senior, brings a lot to the table with her height and long arms.

"Paige is going to be a little faster than the people we've had in the middle in the past," the coach says. "She's a tall girl so she's able to get over the block. She adjusts well to the pass from the back and she wants to get better.

"Because we don't have the "Twin Towers" we're going to have to spread out and be more balanced. Chandler and Holly are going to have to have more kills. I think it's harder to defend when everybody is contributing."

That presents a different challenge for Brown who played three years at North Moore with Garner.

"It's different every year," she says. "It's going to be a little more of a challenge, but I don't think it's something we can't accomplish. It's so cool to have so many players and our coach on the team from North Moore. It's exciting to see a 1A high school go so far."

Groff will be among those trying to provide some of the grit in the back row that was supplied by Ware last season. She recorded 355 digs for a Pinecrest squad that won all 12 of its conference matches.

"I like the idea of playing with other people from the county because we've known about each other and played against each other," she says.

According to McCarthy, one of the "out-of-towners" on the team (Locust, NC), everyone has been getting along well since the open gyms last spring.

"In week two of practices we started meshing and we're coming together really well," she says.

Last year's team barely missed out on playing at the new Heins Gymnasium, nicknamed "The Hangar", after making the court at The O'Neal School its home last season. 

"It's nice to be able to practice in a bigger facility with a home court advantage and where the lighting is so much better," says Riggan who will again be assisted by Kristin Hylton and Ashleigh McKenzie. "We have a lot of special nights planned to involve our crowds.  And who wouldn't want to watch a game in our chair-backed seats. We're really excited to be here.

"The team has looked good so far. Some of the players are in better shape than others, but we are getting closer all the time to all being on the same page. I told the girls this is the best I've felt about a team in pre-season."