This tournament was a great start to our season. We played in two games that helped us get back into the NCDA format and gave our 6 rookies a chance to really learn the game.
Veterans – We worked well together and moved as one throughout the tournament. Our communication was good but can always use improvement. I was very impressed with some of our teams’ veterans stepping up when needed and taking on the captain role when our captains couldn’t. Overall, each veteran did a good job of teaching our rookies necessary skills and how to handle certain situations during the middle of a game.
Rookies – For barely getting to practice inside all the rookies did a good job handling the transition from mostly practicing outside. I was also impressed with the amount they seemed to focus on eye contact and connecting/communicating with their teammates. They were all very confident for it being their first tournament and caught on to the flow of the game very quick. Even when there was frustration after getting out, they communicated with veterans on ways to improve or fix their mistakes. In the end the rookies were able to secure multiple catches and even a few outs.
Overall, for the first tournament of the year, the team did well and learned a lot. It helped us get back to working together and got rid of any nerves we may have had.
Captains Thoughts
What are your thoughts on how our team played? What is something we did well and what do we need to work on?
Dylan Fabry: I think our team did alright for the first tournament of the season. We were moving as a team and the rookies are learning fast. We just need to work on the basics and shake off the rust from summer break.
Hollie Wheeler: I was very proud of how fast our rookies picked up on our play style. The veterans got back into the swing of things while being good role models for the rookies to learn by example. With a few more weeks of practice, the rookies will be more caught up to speed about what our play calls mean, how to cover for our teammates, applying pressure, team throws, and squaring up to secure catches. Our team is looking very promising this year and I’m excited to see what they do at our next tournament. Something we did well was playing as a unit and making sure to reset the clock. We were able to retrieve the center balls effectively, especially when the rookies ran for them. We can work on our communication between the veterans and rookies. We need to guide the rookies and explain why we are doing what we’re doing. The veterans tend to talk to each other more, but as the year goes on, they’ll talk to the new players more and help them out on the court. I believe we are headed in the right direction as a club, and it will be interesting to see how the year progresses.
Rookies Thoughts
What did you think of your first tournament? What is something you learned?
Jamie Damm: I loved our first tournament, there was an amazing and encouraging environment which allowed me to learn a few more of the fundamentals of the game that we hadn’t covered yet in practice but also gain experience in a real game. I learned things like how the stop clock works, how to do a team throw, and when to throw vs. when to block for someone in a game.
Maisie Montemurno: I think it went well. It was amazing to see all the rookies work really well. Even though there were some things that we still didn’t know we all were able to adapt to it. It was also amazing to see the vets celebrate the things we did well.
