Lady Pilgrims growing together
PLYMOUTH — A first-year head coach with no returning seniors on the roster you might think that Plymouth volleyball head coach Shauna Fagan would have her hands full.
Having been an assistant on the Lady Pilgrim staff it’s not the court, but off the court that it’s been a new experience.
“I think it’s about what I expected,” she said. “There are more administrative tasks than I realized. I think communication with everybody is important so I’m just trying to be upfront and honest with my players and making sure I’m keeping parents and staff members in the loop as much as I can. There are a lot of people who make our program run so I think that my being the best communicator that I can be makes everything a lot easier. Obviously, I’m more comfortable as a floor coach since that’s where my experience is.”
And on the floor, Fagan is not just comfortable, but happy.
“I have to say I’ve been pleasantly surprised,” she said. “I think our girls have responded really well to the in-practice changes I’ve made. Sort of the cultural changes, maybe philosophical is a better word.
“They are in here working very hard for me every single day,” said Fagan. “Even in the short time we’ve had they are improving significantly and I’m really excited about that.”
With a lot of open spots from graduation, the competition has spurred growth.
“They are pushing each other very hard for some of those key positions and we are really young and as a program really inexperienced so I anticipate we may see some changes in our lineup throughout the year,”
out the year,” said Fagan. “Not everybody is going to develop at the same pace, so that means I may have some kids that surprise me through the season and show they’ve earned time on the court.”
Some underclassmen have started making a stake on floor time in the preseason.
“Marley Christy is my most experienced setter and her role is going to be really important leading our offense,” said Fagan. “Tynley Gantz is looking like she’s going to be wearing the libero jersey and as the leader of our defense she is going to be in an important role.”
“Eva Sheedy and Sophie Miller are my middles and then there are a handful of hitters Halle Busse, Jersey Hunter, and Nat Sheely.”
“Then I have Olivia Ringer,” said Fagan. “We are looking at a two-setter system. She’s young but she’s showing some promise of being a good leader. That’s a big role to give a sophomore but I think she has some broad shoulders so she should be able to handle it.”
Happy with the team’s progress, the season is not quite as difficult as it might seem.
“I told the girls that we just need to stay fearless this year,” said Fagan. “We don’t have anything to lose. We have no seniors on the roster. This is my first year as the head coach. They just need to give me 110 percent effort the way they have and Lena Jones stands out to me for that. She is possibly the hardest worker on our team. and she really drives the team’s morale. I love the leadership she is showing.”
“If we see a lot of wins this year that is phenomenal,” she said. “That’s the easiest way to measure our success but I think we will see a lot of growth that isn’t measured in wins and losses. It’s hard to tell until we get out there and see where we are stacking up against other squads.”