Leesville Road volleyball
Leesville Road senior Rachel Wood hopes to turn around the Pride's volleyball program this fall.
Pride primed for rebound
Considering he's inherited a volleyball team which recorded one victory last fall, first-year Leesville Road coach Taine Mergenthaler isn't as bad off as most people would think.
Why the optimism? Because the Pride is motivated, but more importantly, it's roster is talented.
"They know that they were 1-16 last year, but this year they are working — I won't say to avenge that — but they want to make sure that doesn't happen," Mergenthaler said.
As cliche as it might seem, but Pride is most definitely on the line this fall.
Fortunately for Mergenthaler, Leesville Road, led by seniors Danyelle Rube and Rachel Wood, has the pieces to lead itself back to respectability.The two vocal leaders have set the tone during the preseason as the group and coach get past introductions and work toward victories.
Mergenthaler has found his new roster is ambitious to learn and get better.
"These girls are really into volleyball," he said. "As soon as I walked in, they were very receptive. There were no bumps or bruises, we got right into working."
In addition to the Pride's upperclassmen, two freshmen, Kati Stammen and Sasha Karelov, have impressed early on.
"They are going to be outstanding," Mergenthaler said. "They are jump-serving already. They have a good set of hands, too.
"The future looks bright here."
The rest of the roster is primarily juniors and seniors, and overall it's an athletic group putting forth plenty of effort.
"They are hustlers," the coach said. "They are definitely hard workers."
Entering his sixth year of coaching — his first in North Carolina — Mergenthaler brings a wealth of knowledge to his new position. In addition to coaching in upstate New York, he has also refereed volleyball.
Through the first two weeks of practice and tryouts, the Pride has focused on defense, a backbone of Mergenthaler's previous teams.
"The hitting will come later, but we need to make sure the ball doesn't hit the floor first," he said.
The Pride hit the floor for the first time Monday, Aug. 17, at Panther Creek, and host Green Hope, Tuesday, Aug. 18. Both matches begin at 6 p.m.
