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Volleyball team wins south, falls to CR
By John Denny
Staff Reporter
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Coastal Point • ERNIE TURPIN
Shauna Jacobs sets up for a spike in a recent match against Caesar Rodney.
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Indian River’s head volleyball coach, Jess Dodd, set high goals for his team this year, and they’ve achieved. They won the Southern Division in its first year of existence and improved upon last year’s losing season to notch a 11-7 record.
That earned them a chance to win the Henlopen Conference Championship on Nov. 1.
Though the Lady Indians volleyball team has made tremendous strides this season, it wasn’t enough to beat the Lady Riders. Caesar Rodney had simply too much firepower and dropped the Lady Indians in three straight games (25-9, 25-8, 25-16).
“We didn’t get all of them, but we set them high because that’s what you have to do,” said Dodd.
“They beat us up pretty good,” said Dodd, “One, two, three, and they knocked us out. They are a very talented team. Most of their team plays volleyball year-round and that’s their only sport.”
Indian River had a hard time adjusting to the speed of Caesar Rodney’s hits according to Dodd.
“Caesar Rodney hit the ball extremely hard,” he said, “harder than we’re used to seeing.”
Indian River had played high-caliber teams like Dickinson and St. Thomas More this season, but Dodd asserted that the only way the sport will ever progress in the area is if more opportunities are available for ladies to play.
“We need some sort of youth camps and leagues if the sport is going to grow,” said Dodd. “Once you get up to Dover and north of there, those opportunities are available. It’s going to take committed adults that want the sport to grow, to do something in some shape or form.”
Dodd mentioned that expenses for travel ball could range anywhere from $300 to $800, but fundraisers can help defray the costs.
Indian River will lose four seniors to graduation, two of whom are starters (Sara Powell and Shauna Jacobs) but Dodd said he expects nothing but the best from all his athletes.
“We need to keep getting better and, hopefully, we can repeat as Southern Division champions,” said Dodd.
Indian River didn’t make the state tournament this season because of a lack of bonus points. They lost that tournament spot to Dover, which claimed the 11th seed. Dover defeated the Lady Indians at the Indian River Challenge tournament earlier this season.
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