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Volleyball prepares for Tuesday opener
Fort Scott High School head volleyball coach Carol Bingesser mixed things up at the team's Red and White Scrimmage in the FSHS gymnasium Tuesday afternoon. She decided to split up her varsity and junior varsity teams and put some of each group on each side of the net. Bingesser coached the Red team while assistant Jenna Campbell coached the White squad.
The strategy provided a very competitive scrimmage. Although score cannot be kept officially at a scrimmage, there were three close sets
"We divided it up so it would be a little more competitive," Fort Scott head coach Carol Bingesser said. "It showed me a lot of stuff. We need to work on our passing. It's not the greatest. So we need to make sure we work on that."
Fort Scott plays nine matches at home this season, which includes Tuesday's season-opening non-league triangular with guests Chanute and Colgan. The first match begins at 4:30.
The Tigers were 20-17 overall last season and 7-1 at home. However, in the previous two seasons, Fort Scott was just 3-10 at home, including a 1-7 record at the FSHS gymnasium in 2012. Bingesser remembers that bizarre stretch all too well and is hopeful that her girls come out confident as they did last season.
"It felt like we were getting freaked out playing at home, which we shouldn't," Bingesser said. "But I have great senior leadership this year. (Ashley) Cook can do anything. Katie Gorman can pass anything. Jenna (Kakas), once we get her timing down a little bit better, she's going to be awesome. She's going to rock in the middle.
"Then I have Maddie McCoy and McKenna Berger and both of them can come in and pass. They were on the (White) side tonight and I could have used them on my side to help pass a little bit."
In addition to those five on the varsity roster, juniors Karlee Stanley, Emily Hale, Haley Denton and Makayla Robertson and sophomore Kharsyn Dwyer are also in the top group. Juniors Emilee Cotter and Lorenza Burrus, sophomores Lane Bohlken, Aubrey Ard, Skyelar Brown, Jenny Denton, Kelsie Nelson, Samantha Racy, Madison Proctor, Morgan Carr and Madison Cook and freshman Madison Farmer are on the JV.
The Tigers finished second in the Southeast Kansas League last season behind a dominant Chanute squad that qualified for State and finished 36-9. Bingesser says she has not heard much about the other league teams this season as they chose to play in Frontenac's summer league rather than Fort Scott's but she feels the league will be more competitive.
"Pittsburg has a new coach but (Taylor) Muff will be good again," Bingesser said. "I think they've finally run out of Flowers girls (but) I still think (Chanute) will be good. Labette County will still be good. Independence will still be good. I don't think there's really going to be a weak link. We're just going to take them one game at a time."
The season schedule can be seen under the "Scoreboard" banner on page 9.