Tigers put pieces in right places

Having a few of last year's returning players back in their natural positions on the court along with improved passing and setting should help Fort Scott High School's volleyball team improve on a 10-24 record from last season.

Head coach Carol Bingesser said after practice Wednesday evening that having senior Ericah Shoemaker back on the left side and classmate Maddi Allen on the right side should help the Tigers.

"They're in the best spots they can be in," Bingesser said. "These are the spots they needed to be in but we didn't have the personnel to put them in the right spot last year."

Shoemaker had to play some middle and some on the right side and Allen was forced into duty as the Tigers' setter. Delane Gray, another one of the team's six seniors, will also move over to the left side. Shoemaker will play all the way around the court. Senior Katie Jo Hull will play back row when the other hitter spot rotates to the back row.

"Ericah's a true left side and she's playing better there," Bingesser says. "She's a great left side and so's Delane."

Middle hitters Brianne Lawrence and Jillian Lattimer, both seniors, also return. They were the strength of the team last season and should find their job easier to perform because Bingesser expects better passing and setting from a pair of sophomores.

"Both of them are crushing the ball and playing great right now," Bingesser said. "Brianne will score a lot of points because she sees the court well. She will make something out of nothing.

"Jill is just crushing the ball right now. Things have just really clicked for her."

Allen filled in adequately as setter last season but Bingesser says the right side "is her spot. She's a great hitter, a great blocker who jumps out of the gym."

Ashley Cook will be the Tigers' setter and Katie Gorman will be the libero -- the back-row specialist in the different-colored jersey.

"Right now, I'm saying Katie Gorman's one of the best passers in the league," Bingesser said. "She gets to every ball. She plays great defense.

"Ashley knows the game. She's played forever now. I'm looking for her to lead our offense. She's competent enough to know what to do with every pass she gets."

Bingesser is pleased with her team's unity so far. For example, Cook and Gorman aren't "sophomores" to the other girls; they're just "players." And Cook should be somewhat used to pressure after coming on as a freshman 3-point shooting ace for last year's State Tournament-qualifying basketball team.

In fact, Bingesser hopes that the success the basketball players enjoyed -- Lawrence, Lattimer, Allen, Shoemaker -- will spill over into volleyball.

"I think the girls have the desire this year," Bingesser said. "This hasn't really been a volleyball community since the '90s, since Tami Campbell coached. We haven't had that volleyball mentality. Now, we have kids playing club ball. They're playing in the summer all the time.

"They had a taste of going to State in basketball and I think it will be in the seniors' head because they liked that. It was fun for them."

The team's Red & White Scrimmage will be held Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. in the FSHS gymnasium. Varsity, junior varsity and freshmen players will all get workouts.

Unlike the past few seasons, the Tigers don't have to play the next day. But they will have to play three days next week. They open the season at Pittsburg Colgan for a triangular that includes Chanute in a non-league match. Thursday, they go to Iola for a triangular that includes Prairie View. And Saturday, they travel to Columbus for more non-league action that includes Pittsburg and Girard.

"We won't have an easy game the first week," Bingesser said.

Chanute, which qualified for Class 4A State last season, is the defending Southeast Kansas League champion and brings back many of its top players. Bingesser, whose team was 1-5 in league play for sixth place last season, expects Pittsburg and Labette County to be top teams in the SEK but also doesn't think any league opponent will necessarily be a pushover.

"We'll just take it one match at a time and focus on that," she said.