This past weekend, the Palisade Volleyball Program hosted an important tournament fundraiser for the team that attracted almost 30 teams from around the western slope that helped fundraise for the program. This tournament was not only a critical way for the program to raise money, but also acted as a building block for the development of the team, specifically Junior Varsity and C team. Teams from Battle Mountain, Sumit, Glenwood, and many other towns across the western slope participated. Although this was to build the foundation of the JV and C team by getting lots of reps and playing time, the varsity team also played a pivotal role in the success of the fundraiser by scorekeeping line judging and making sure everything was running smoothly. Katalyne Hean, a sophomore defensive specialist playing on JV states “I think the tournament went pretty well, it was our first tournament and the first game was a little bit low on energy but we came back and ended up winning all of our games.” The head coach for the team, Wendy Macaskill has been coaching for several decades but this year the program is experiencing new C team and the JV team coaches. Despite the lack of time and practices the players had with the new coaches, both teams overcame this challenge and worked together well with the JV ending undefeated and C team ending 2-2. Lili Taylor, a sophomore and starting libero for JV explains “I think the tournament went well, there were definitely a lot of learning experiences. I think as the whole, the team has to work on communication and team trust.” The volleyball season is a very special time to participate in a sport to grow and improve but also to build new connections and friendships. Hean explains “I am looking forward to traveling with the team because I think it is a really great way to get new experiences and to make new friendships while bettering the old ” The future of the volleyball team is looking bright and exciting. The tournament was crucial to the skill development of players and allows the program to provide the best resources for players and covers some equipment costs and traveling expenses.
