Team: Clarkson-Leigh
Mascot: Patriots
Colors: Red, Blue, and Gray
Class: C-2
Head Coach: Becky Schneider (5th season) (34-90 career record)
2015 record: 11-19
Returning Starters: 4
Overview:
The Clarkson/Leigh Patriots saw improvement from 2014 to 2015, and hope to see even more improvement in 2016.
Four starters return for Head Coach Becky Schneider, and they include Beth Wiese (5'10, SO MH), Kaegan Held (5'7, SO S), Hannah Kasik (5'10, SO MH), and Shelby Paprocki (5'9, SR OH).
Clarkson/Leigh lost their libero, rightside, and an outside hitter from a year ago.
Schneider is excited about an upperclassmen and this year's sophomore class. "I have one junior who missed over half the season due to injury that should be pretty solid for us. We will definitely push her to make up for lost time! With having only 3 upperclassmen, we are needing to fill in with our sophomores and they have really surprised us with the leaps they have taken from last year! They have really stepped up!"
Wiese, Kasik, Held, and Paprocki are projected starters along with the junior Sydney Folken (6'0, MH), Halee Steffensmeier (5'4, SO L), and Sara McEvoy (5'9, SO RS).
Schneider says the mental aspect of volleyball is the key to winning more matches this year than last year. "Definitely mentality. Volleyball is extremely mental and I think that will make the difference in
whether or not we can push for more wins. These girls are very competitive and they know what it
takes to win. They definitely have the drive and the will to win. They just need to be mentally tough
and finish every match. Also, staying positive is another aspect that will help us reach our goals!"
A lot has been made and said about this year's sophomore class. Schneider says a lot is expected from them. "Yes, absolutely! They still hold a lot of potential. With only 2 seniors and 1 junior, we are looking to our sophomores to make huge contributions to our team! This class was very successful in junior high and they definitely carried that over, and they just continue to make strides! They’ve played a lot of sports together and I think that has helped tremendously. Even adding in the 3 upperclassmen, these girls just flow well together. They have that team bond that every coach wants for their team!"
I think the Patriots can be very competitive this season, and for the next two years at the very least.
I think there's a lot for this group of sophomores to accomplish in the next three seasons.
There are a lot of winnable matches on the schedule for Clarkson/Leigh, and now is the time to win if you are the Patriots.
Clarkson/Leigh will be young, but very talented. This team could be scary good not only this year, but for the next two years.
These sophomore girls won 11 games as freshmen, and were able to see and experience what it's going to take to win consistently.
I really think Patriot Volleyball is on the rise, and has a really good chance to have success this season.
I believe the veteran players will mix in well with the underclassmen, and the combination of a few older players and a bunch of younger players should lead to a lot of success for Clarkson/Leigh this season.
Season Outlook:
There appears to be a lot of winnable matches on the schedule for the Patriots this season.
Clarkson/Leigh's toughest matches appear to be against Stanton, BRLD, Scribner-Snyder, Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family, Shelby/Rising City, Humphrey St. Francis, and Oakland-Craig.
Schneider says being successful hinges on staying healthy. "Hands down, the injuries need to stay at a minimum or even better, nonexistent. Unfortunately last year, we were low on numbers and injuries really hurt us. We need to be able to stay healthy in order to be as successful as we want to be."
I really think the Patriots can win 20+ matches if everyone stays healthy.
Schneider feels this season could be good. "If we can stay away from the injuries, we have no doubt that we will be successful!"
It will be interesting to see if Clarkson/Leigh's offseason work pays off. Schneider says the Patriots had a successful offseason. "Absolutely! We had a great offseason and we definitely saw a lot of good things over the summer! We were able to compete in a summer league in Wayne and reached goals there that we haven’t been able to in the past. We also attended a team camp down at Wesleyan and again had a successful 2 days down there. This team just plays so fluently together. They definitely have something special so much that we get goosebumps just talking about them!"
Sub Districts are when things will count the most, and Clarkson/Leigh is in Sub District D1-4 with GACC, Pender, Emerson-Hubbard, and Walthill.
The Bluejays figure to be the toughest team in the sub district, and I would say the road to Lincoln goes through them.
That's why it's so important for Clarkson/Leigh to play well throughout the regular season. The Patriots need to play well over the course of the year to prepare themselves for sub districts and put themselves in a position to earn a wildcard to state should they need one to get in.
There's a lot for Clarkson/Leigh to accomplish this season, and I look for 2016 to be a year to remember for the Patriots.
I would say Clarkson/Leigh has a good chance to be in the sub district final, at the very least.
It will be fun to see the results and growth of this team throughout the year. This young sophomore class will no doubt grow and mature into young ladies by season's end.
2016 Clarkson/Leigh Patriots Volleyball Schedule:
09/01/16 Madison Triangular (host: Clarkson/Leigh)
09/01/16 Stanton Triangular (host: Clarkson/Leigh)
09/06/16 @ BRLD
09/13/16 Scribner-Snyder
09/15/16 High Plains Community Triangular (host: Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family)
09/15/16 Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family Triangular (host: Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family)
09/17-09/17 (To Be Determined) Stanton Tournament (1-Day Tournament, >4 Teams) Stanton
09/20/16 @ Twin River
09/24-09/24 (To Be Determined) Hampton Tournament (1-Day Tournament, >4 Teams) Hampton
09/27/16 @ Logan View
10/01-10/01 (To Be Determined) Clarkson/Leigh Tournament (1-Day Tournament, >4 Teams) Clarkson
10/04/16 Lutheran High Northeast Triangular (host: Clarkson/Leigh)
10/04/16 Shelby/Rising City Triangular (host: Clarkson/Leigh)
10/06/16 Humphrey St. Francis
10/08 (To Be Determined) Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family Tournament (4-Team Round Robin) Humphrey
10/13-10/15 (To Be Determined) East Husker Conference (2/3-Day Tournament) Wisner
10/18/16 @ Oakland-Craig
10/20/16 Mead
10/24/16 @ Pender
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