There is no doubt where Nanih Waiya head volleyball coach Danya Hunter is going to turn when she needs someone to step up for her Lady Warriors.
“I only have three returning starters this year,” Hunter said. “There are a lot of new and younger faces.”
Hunter only has 13 players to make up her six-player varsity and junior varsity teams, but it’s those three returnees who will be counted on to do a lot of the heavy lifting.The three juniors — Dallyn Nance, Chloe Weeks, and Jalia Cotton — all have specific roles they need to play for NW this season.
“Those three aren’t afraid to get after the ball and are showing good leadership,” she said.
“Dallyn plays well all the way around,” Hunter said. “She is great on the back and great on the front. Chloe is our setter and is good at serving and also plays all the way around for us. Jalia is one of our setters, but she can really jump for her height.”
Also playing varsity each night is expected to be Kaylee Gregory and I’onnya Coleman. Kalee Cumberland, Cheyenne Steen and Jaylee Stokes will be seeing some junior varsity and varsity action.
There is a junior varsity and varsity match on each schedule date. The JV plays two out of three sets, while the varsity plays three out of five. Hunter says there will be six girls designated to play the entire junior varsity match, while one or two may also have to play some varsity on that night.
Hunter, who played volleyball at Ackerman High School, says she likes the way the sport is developing in the Winston County area, especially the environment the students and fans are providing.
Last Friday night NW took wins over Winston Academy and Noxapater at the Winston County Classic that was hosted by Noxapater.
“The environment was there,” she said. “The parents were there. The girls really thrived in that environment and it was good to see the fans come out and see the girls play.”
One of the things Hunter said her team really needs to work on is serving. “If you don’t get it over the net then you aren’t making the other team play,” she said.
She said one of the big differences she has noticed from last year’s inaugural season and this year so far is the improvement in ball control. “We can actually return and get a good first pass,” she said. “We are really looking to make that good first pass to get it to one of our outside hitters.”
The Lady Warriors Play in Class 1, Region 4. Class 1 is made up of 1A, 2A and 3A schools. Nanih Waiya plays in the region with Noxapater, Kemper County, West Lowndes, Aberdeen, Amory and Choctaw County.
NW opened the season at Grace Christian on Monday night and is set to host Kosciusko on Tuesday, Aug. 20 and West Lowndes on Thursday, Aug. 22. The Thursday match will be the region opener.
