The first thing the girls saw when they walked into the gym was guest coach Shauna Bake’s smile.
Then they noticed a quote on the whiteboard. It summed up Derek Jeter’s philosophy, and by extension, Bake’s.
“There may be people who have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do,” said Jeter, a baseball Hall of Famer and five-time World Series champion.
In 2014, Bake retired from PCHS as health teacher and volleyball coach.
Today, she focuses on the mental health of the school district’s nearly 700 students.
However, she still supports the volleyball team and helps whenever she can. Last Friday, Feb. 12, she offered a skills clinic.
Bake returned to the high school gym on Saturday, Feb. 20, to officially launch the 2021 volleyball season.
Everyone wishing to play attended the drills clinic and tried out. The coaches put together both a varsity and JV team for the six-week season.
Monica Halverson coaches the varsity team.
They include Cheyeanne Diaz, Aledda Sam, Kaydance Happy, Senicka Happy, Presley Burrows, Andrea Canchola and Kaylen Halverson.
Nancy Meissner coaches the JV girls. They include Mady Grenz, Anna Happy, Morgan Swindlehurst, Taylor Garland, KayLee Poffenroth and Katie Moore. Leah Holland, a member of Bake’s 2012 championship team, will help the coaches.
Last year, the Lady Mustangs made it to the first round of the regionals by working as a team.
With Coach Halverson pushing them to hit around the block, tighten up their offense and cover more of their court, who knows what their future holds?
The six basic volleyball skills are passing, setting, spiking, blocking, digging and serving.
Many coaches consider passing the most critical skill because it allows the players to get the ball to a teammate or over the net. Bake allowed plenty of time for practice at her clinics.
To pass, volleyball players anticipate where the ball is going to land and run to that spot.
With knees bent, they balance themselves in a slight squat and create a platform with their forearms. Finally, they bump the ball where they want it to go.
Many players find the fast-pace energizing. Each team celebrates every point. Playing 45 minutes of volleyball can burn up to 545 calories. It also improves muscle strength and tone and boosts hand-eye coordination, reflexes and balance. To be at all competitive, the girls must communicate with one another.
“We are fortunate that Coach Bake was willing to come in and lead. She has so much passion and love for the game that she made the fundamentals fun,” she said. “I’m excited to get going and play some competitive volleyball again. We’ve waited so long to have a season that I don’t ever want to take it for granted again,” said Halverson.
Pershing County travels to Yerington for their first game on Mar. 5.
The next day they head to North Tahoe. They’ll host Battle Mountain for the first home game of the year on Tuesday, Mar. 9 at 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.
They’ll also compete against Incline, Coral Academy, North Tahoe and Silver Stage for a total of 13 games.
Soccer ready to kick off new season
The PCHS soccer team began its official practices on Feb. 22.
To prepare, they’ve been conditioning after school twice a week.
“We’re excited. It’s here,” said Coach Matt Fuller. “It will be a bit different this year with all the rules and regulations regarding COVID, but with hard work and diligence, we should be able to complete a season.”
Soccer season starts on the road against Yerington on Sat., Mar. 6.
They’ll also play North Tahoe, Sage Ridge, Battle Mountain, West Wendover, Whittell and Incline for a total of 12 games.
