Tamia Williams delivers the smash at Ridge View last week. (photo/DeAnna Robinson)
The Westwood Redhawk Volleyball team opens its inaugural season against the Ridge View Blazers at Westwood High School Aug. 29. The JV game will start at 5:30 p.m. and the varsity will take the court at 7 p.m. This will be the community’s first opportunity to support a Redhawk team.
Last week, the Redhawks got an advanced look at the Blazers as a pared down squad went into Ridge View for a joint practice session. With a lot of her regulars out for the afternoon, head coach Amanda Kruysman said she had to rely on her girls’ tenacity for the game.
“The girls were quick to adapt to a different lineup,” Kruysman said. “A lot of people jumped in where they wouldn’t normally be.”
The students at Westwood High School will be starting new traditions for academic and athletic excellence. Getting ready for a new season in a new school has been challenging for the coaches and players. They are working with girls who, for the most part, have never played together before. They were finally granted access to the school gym just a few short weeks ago and got right to work. No doubt this will be a building year. The team is going to be young and will have to work through some growing pains. Kruysman and JV coach Ciji Kuhlmann have been working hard to prepare the girls for tryouts that will be held Aug. 1 – 3 (varsity) and Aug. 6 – 8 (JV). It is not too late. If you are interested in playing volleyball for the Redhawks, be sure you attend tryouts. For more information, contact the school at 691-4049.
The coaches took 16 girls to the Coastal Carolina Volleyball Team Camp last week. At camp, the girls worked on fundamental skills, positional skills and team work. Kruysman said the purpose of a team camp is to figure out what a team needs to work on. She is proud of how well the girls did at camp and learned a lot about them and the things they need to work on. The coaches have a lot of faith that they will be able to put together competitive varsity and JV teams for the 2012 season.
“We’re working with a lot of young talent,” Kruysman said, “and we looked strong (in camp). The girls are all excited about playing for a new school.”
Enjoy the rest of your summer and I hope to see you at Westwood High School for the first big game Wednesday, Aug. 29!
