Rolling thunder

Volleyball club helping develop talented core of young women

By ROBYN RISON - The Herald-Dispatch

Randy Snyder/The Herald-Dispatch Wayne’s Haley Booton returns the ball during tryouts on Sunday for the River Cities Thunder volleyball club team at Gullickson Hall at Marshall University.

HUNTINGTON — The River Cities Thunder Volleyball Club is a perfect advertisement for club sports.

Now in its third year the club has doubled in size while gaining regional and even some national attention. The players are developing their skills and using them to make a difference with their high school teams.

“When we first started they had that deer-in-the-headlights look,” said club director Mike Strickland. “Last year they were competitive and improved.”

River Cities Thunder grew from 23 players and two mix-and-match teams in its first season to 45 girls and four squads last season. This year’s roster of players is still coming together, but the travel teams are filled and a local league is being formed for others. Also, players are still being accepted for a developmental league. Final league placements will be Jan. 9.

The league will serve as a feeder program for travel teams that will compete by age division in regional and national tournaments from January to May.

River Cities Thunder had one of last season’s 16-year-old teams finished tied for 13th in the region. The increased skill level attained from the added months playing against top-notch competition also impacted area schools.

Spring Valley High School saw dramatic benefits. The Timberwolves had 10 players on this year’s state semifinalist team that also play for River Cities Thunder. The Timberwolves also had the first winning season in school history.

Across the river in Kentucky, when the first-team all-area players were announced, seven of the 11 chosen were Thunder players.

“The goal of the club has been to help build and develop the skill level,” Strickland said. “We’ve been behind in this area and we’re now starting to see some improvement.”

It’s been a huge benefit to many area players on a variety of levels.

“I wanted to get better and play against harder competition,” said Corie Rakes, 16, who attends Ashland’s Paul Blazer High School. “This has definitely helped. It’s really fun and the competition is better. I’ve learned how to hit better and how to pass better.

“Most people around here don’t know what real volleyball should be and this helps.”

Brittany Wall, a 16-year-old Russell High School student said the club-level competition is something you can’t get playing only for a high school team.

Spring Valley’s Jennifer Wiles, 18, didn’t realize how much she enjoyed volleyball until joining the club team. Before that, she a basketball player.

Wiles is now interested in playing college volleyball.

“It’s not only helped physically, but mentally,” she said. “It’s diverse players and really good competition that makes you improve all over the place. Forever I liked basketball, but when I got into this it became my main sport. It’s something I’m set on doing. Sometimes it’s hard not to get burned out, but I play to have fun and that’s what keeps me going. It’s not because anybody makes me. I want to play because it’s fun.”

Sydney Brickett is a long way away from thinking about college. The 13-year-old Cammack Middle School student is starting her second year with River Cities Thunder. She has progressed from the Cammack junior varsity to the varsity and now she’s aiming to be a high school player.

Brickett said she her middle school taught her basic skills, but she wants to be better than that.

“I want to be ready for high school,” she said. “And it’s a lot of fun. You get to meet a lot of new friends and play competitive teams. It’s tougher, but it’s a lot more fun.”

Jacobs said the Tri-State has plenty of players with potential, but without the training a club team can provide most of it wasn’t being used. Seeing the club get off the ground and do well is very exciting to him.

His club team duties include training players and providing coaches that include some of his Thundering Herd team members.

“I don’t know that this is a perfect club, but it’s a way to get the community involved and grow the sport and in turn it helps Marshall by getting fans in the seats,” he said. “There are special athletes here and I hope there will come a day when a player can grow up here and play at Marshall.”

Jacobs also said the club is providing young athletes with the desire, skills and opportunities to earn college scholarships. He said those things will increase with time as the players and the club develop.

“The growth is in the heart of those kids that started this,” Jacobs said.

Source: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/2004/December/15/LSspot.htm

Games People Play

River Cities Thunder Volleyball Club Caps Season

By ROBYN RISON - The Herald-Dispatch

Randy Snyder/The Herald-Dispatch The River Cities Volleyball Club 16-year-old national team completed a successful season. Team member pictured are: front row (left to right) Cori Rakes, Brittanny Hunt, Kristen Stamper, Jessie Bowers, Ashley Nicely, Coach Greg Spector; back row, Bethany Woodall, Alissa Mays, Taylor Strickland, Caitlin Mulvaney, Jessie Bailey.

HUNTINGTON — The River Cities Thunder Volleyball Club capped a successful 2004 season at the Ohio Valley Regional Tournament in Columbus. The second-year club started by Marshall volleyball coach Mitch Jacobs consisted of teams in four different divisions. The 16-year-old national team finished tied for 13th in the OVR tournament and was 12th out of 186 teams in the region in the final standings.

Team members were Jessica Bailey, Jessica Bowers, Brittany Hunt, Alissa Mays, Caitlin Mulvaney, Ashley Nicely, Corie Rakes, Kristin Stamper, Taylor Strickland and Bethany Woodall. The team was coached by Greg Spector.

The 16-year-old regional team finished tied for third place in the Kryptonite division of the OVR tournament. Team members are Courtney Boodry, Kayla Cole, Katie Derickson, Sarah Dumbaugh, Hannah Hager, Samantha Russell, Amanda Staley, Dani Turner, Brittany Wall and Candice Wright. Shannon O’Connor coached the squad.

The 14-year-old team tied for third place in the Tungsten division of the OVR tournament. Team members are Elizabeth Bartlett, Sydney Brickett, Beth Ann Crutchfield, Kali Enix, Hollynn Hager, Heather Hogan, Emily Mannon, Sheena McClendon, Sydney Nicholas, Christine Schussler, Raquel Shaw, Kasha Shull and Caitlin Smith. Amber Sims and Katie Stein coached the team.

The 17-year-old team tied for 5th in the Chromium division. Members are Sarah Cartmell, Ashley Hutchinson, Nina Mecca, Amanda Moore, Ashley Sanders, Cattrina Stazdin, Whitney Stidham, Lyndsey Thacker, Jennifer Wiles and Krystal Baumann. Shawndra Thompson coached the team.

Players interested in joining one of the teams can contact Mike Strickland at 429-3438.

Source: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/2004/June/2/MUspot.htm

MU volleyball camp stirs excitement

By ROBYN RISON - The Herald-Dispatch

Tim Johnson/The Herald-Dispatch Brittany Wall, 14, of Ashland, practices bumping the volleyball Tuesday during a volleyball camp being held this week at Marshall University.

HUNTINGTON — Ten-year-old Hannah Milem really didn’t know anything about volleyball when Marshall assistant coach Tim Walenga went to speak at Covenant School and drop off summer camp brochures.

Milem is now a volleyball player on Covenant’s first-year team.

“I had never thought about it until they came and talked about it,” she said. “It sounded like fun so I decided to come to camp.”

The youngster is one of about 30 Tri-State volleyball hopefuls attending Mitch Jacobs’ first camp as the Marshall head coach this week in Gullickson Gymnasium. Jacobs was hired after former Thundering Herd coach Steffi Legall resigned to take an assistant coaching job at the University of Georgia. Jacobs believes his late start on getting the camp organized was the reason for the low number, but he’s not unhappy.

“I think the change of coaching staff and late start was the reason, but the girls we have are excited and really into it,” he said. “We try to do it right. It’s giving them a quality experience rather than having a lot of numbers that matter.”

Although Jacobs knew he wouldn’t be able to attend much of the camp because of recruiting conflicts, he said it was important to have one.

“Camps are important for a couple of reasons,” he said. “First is community involvement. We want to bring local, regional and state-wide interest. We want to define Marshall University volleyball and show that things are done right here. The second reason is for recruiting. Eventually we hope that our camp is strong enough to bring in the recruits that we’re looking at whether they’re in-state or national recruits.”

Kristin Hunter, 17, plays volleyball at Fairland High School and wants to end her high school career with a bang.

Tim Johnson/The Herald-Dispatch Marshall University volleyball coach Mitch Jacobs talks with players from left, Heidi Kuethe, Ashley Barnard and Grace Jones during a volleyball camp at Marshall. Jacobs is working to recruit players for Marshall.

“I just wanted to expand my ability to play volleyball,” Hunter said Tuesday morning. “I just wanted to learn more than I knew before so I came here. I actually have learned a lot already.”

As with most camps learning is a primary goal.

The staff wants to teach and the participants want to learn. That’s no different for Jacobs.

“Fundamentals. Fundamentals. Fundamentals,” Jacobs said. “At this point we work on the very basics. Even in college fundamentals never lose their place. Even though you may think you’ve got them down we always drill them.”

Jacobs can’t be around much this week to work one-on-one with campers, but Thundering Herd assistant coaches Walenga and Lisa Holley are providing plenty of attention. Some Marshall players are also working at the camp.

The personal attention is one reason Buffalo Middle School student Katie Derickson came back to the Marshall camp for the second year in a row.

“My coach last year, Joy Bailey, encouraged us to go to this camp,” Derickson, 13, said. “It’s really fun to interact with the players and the new coach is great. He’s nice and really knows what he’s doing. This is just my second year of camp and playing volleyball and I had no idea about volleyball when I first came here so they’ve taught me everything I know.”

Jacobs is happy that the camp is not only informative, but also effective. His hope is that it make a fresh start for the Marshall volleyball program.

“I’m hoping to use this as a beginning,” Jacobs said. “We want to get these girls to our games. We plan on having high school days and junior high days. We’re looking into having a winter clinic when they’re on their Christmas vacation and need something to do.

“Also, volleyball is one of the few sports left around here that doesn’t have a strong Junior Olympic program and we want to get that started as well,” he said. “We hope to create a bridge between the season and the club programs.”

Jacobs asked anyone interested in getting a club volleyball program organized to contact the Marshall coaching staff at 696-3980.

Source: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/2002/July/10/MUspot.htm