Lady Bulldogs prepare for upcoming volleyball season
DECATUR — After a two week holiday from a busy off-season practice schedule, the Decatur Lady Bulldog Volleyball team took to the court at the Middle School gym July 15 working on fundamentals and getting back into shape for the upcoming 2019 high school volleyball season.
Tajhe Turner, now in her second year as head volleyball coach, mapped out new strategies for this year’s team, now in its fifth season.
After a short talk and warm-up session, Turner had her girls on the court performing drills designed to make them more agile while at the same time reenforcing their moves as a team. In one drill, Turner pointed in a certain direction, either side to side or front and back, and the team would move together in that direction. When she dropped her arms to her sides, the girls dropped to the floor to simulate a dig. The more the girls moved together, the more they began to work as a team.
As each practice session progressed throughout the week, the girls worked on serves, passing and strategy moves until they could execute each with the precision of a seasoned high school champion team.
At the end of each practice, the Lady Bulldogs engaged each other in a match. In the end, Turner critiqued each of the players and helped them work out any bad habits or glitches in their techniques.
“I’m proud of the way the team has progressed this summer,” Turner said. “I can’t wait until the season starts. I want to see if all the efforts these girls have put into the summer practice season come together in competition.”