By Aaron Schultz, Sports Editor, Howard Lake Journal
In 2009, the Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Lakers volleyball team finished the season with a 13-13 overall record.
“We grew a lot last season as a team, and really came together and played hard,” head coach Christin LaMott said.
LaMott, who is entering her third season as the Lakers’ head coach, has six years of coaching experience, overall.
This year, LaMott will be assisted by Melanie Lawrence, Tanya Remer, and Leah Jenzen.
Heading into 2010, the Lakers bring back a strong core of players from last year, and are looking to improve on their .500 record from a season ago.
Captains for this year’s team are three of the four returning starters for HLWW – Mia Kohn, Kaylee Erickson, and Ellie Arvidson.
The fourth returning starter for the Lakers is Abby Schlueter.
The two starters that the Lakers lost to graduation from a season ago were Maggie Horstmann and Sharayah Clos. “Maggie and Sharayah were our two middles last year, and they had been with me for two years, and were our height,” LaMott said.
While the Lakers did lose two key players to graduation, they will be bringing back two athletes that lettered a season ago – Becca Luhman and Heather Lehner.
The Lakers will be missing that size in the middle, but will look to make up for it with quickness.
“Our girls want to come together as a team, and play the best ball they can,” LaMott said. “We are not very tall, but understand that we have to compensate for that in all the other things we do. We won’t give up.”
Although the Lakers won’t have the height in the middle this year, they do have a number of very quick players.
“The girls go after everything, and don’t want a ball to drop,” LaMott said. “We have strong hitters, and setters, who know what to do with the ball.”
Overall, the Lakers have 48 girls out for volleyball in grades nine through 12.
Breaking it down, there are six seniors, 10 juniors, 13 sophomores, and 19 freshmen.
In 2009, the Lakers finished with a 4-3 Central Minnesota Conference record.
For HLWW to improve on that conference mark this year, they will have to beat the teams they should beat, and find a way to top one, or maybe all, of the favorites in the conference.
Those favorites include Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, Maple Lake, and Kimball.
When playoff time rolls around, the Lakers will once again be in Section 6AA.
Last year, the Lakers fell in the opening round of sections to St. Cloud Cathedral, which should be tough once again.
HLWW did get off on the right foot in 2010, as they defeated section rival Dassel-Cokato in four games Tuesday.
Look for complete details of that win in the game story on the front of the sports pages.
This week, HLWW will host Annandale Tuesday, Sept. 7, and then travels to Pierz Thursday, Sept. 9.
The Lakers will host their annual invite Saturday, Sept. 11 starting at 9 a.m.
With plenty of talent and experience coming back this season, look for the Lakers to make plenty of strides in what should be a pretty fun season of HLWW volleyball.
Section 6AA teams: Albany, Annandale, Dassel-Cokato, Holdingford, HLWW, Litchfield, Little Falls, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, Melrose, New London-Spicer, Paynesville, Pierz, Rocori, St. Cloud Cathedral, Sauk Centre, and Staples-Motley.