Volleyball teams head in different directions

With the 2011 volleyball season nearing its end, West Jordan and Copper Hills High Schools are close to rolling up the nets until next year, though one team may do it sooner than the other. Both teams were hoping to improve on their 2010 campaigns, but only the Jaguars have managed to accomplish that feat.

West Jordan only won four games in 2010, losing 12. The Jags have improved immensely in 2011, winning 15 matches through the first week of October, more than tripling last season’s win total. They still have a few matches left to play, all being region showdowns, but are currently sitting in 2^nd place in Region 3.

The Lady Jaguars are poised to make a post season push behind a core group of upperclassmen, solid play all around and the senior leadership of outside hitter, Mercedes O’Neal, according to head coach Heather Johnson. “There are six seniors and two juniors who readily contribute,” Johnson said.

The improvement in play has been appreciated by coaches. Many on the team participated in summer camps and played club volleyball in the offseason to hone their skills. Their current record attests to the dedication and adjustments they have made.

“We stay positive on the court and go out with a winning attitude,” Johnson said, who has been the head coach for four years and is currently experiencing her first winning season as such.

West Jordan has only suffered one region loss. It was to Alta 3-1, a team which sits atop the standings. The Jaguars have fared well in tournament play as well. They left the Roundtable Rumble on Aug. 27 with a record of 4-3 and did even better in Labor Day Classic on Sept. 2, leaving the tourney 5-3. The only losses the Jags have suffered other than to Alta and in tournament play came at the hands of Woods Cross Aug. 23, 3-1 and American Fork Sept.6, 3-0.

Copper Hills, on the other hand, has struggled through 2011. Through the first week of October, the Grizzlies had won only one match. They beat Payson 2-1 during the Bulldog Classic on Sept. 1. They won five matches in 2010, and will be hard pressed to match that for 2011 with only a few matches remaining. The Grizzlies are currently 1-18 overall and 0-5 in region play.

Copper Hills will likely start looking toward 2012, while West Jordan will begin prepping for postseason play. The state tournament is Nov. 4 and 5 at Utah Valley University in Orem. The Jaguars were eliminated in the first round of 2010’s tournament.

Led by O’Neal, West Jordan hopes to go further this year. “She has heart and a passion for the game,” sophomore Courtney Humphrey said of O’Neal. O’Neal isn’t the only strong player on the squad, though. “We have solid players everywhere else,” Johnson said. “We just keep going out and playing as a team.”