Howells-Dodge under new leadership with Taryn Janke at the helm

Team: Howells-Dodge

Mascot: Jaguars

Colors: Green, Black, and Silver

Class: C-2

Head Coach: Taryn Janke (1st Season)

2018 record: 16-15

Returning Starters: N/A

Overview:

Howells-Dodge has a new Coach in Taryn Janke. Janke is from Cedar Bluffs and has been a Jaguar assistant in recent years.

"I'm from originally Cedar Bluffs. I lived in Winside for the longest time so I was driving back and forth. I was an assistant coach for three years, and so this will be my 4th year at Howells-Dodge. And I got the head coach job."

Janke takes over for Neil VanLengen.

Janke says key returners include Taya VanLengen and Alyssa Coufal.

"We have Alyssa Coufal who will be our setter. She's back, a senior this year. And then we also have Grace Kreikemeier and Courtney Bayer. Courtney Bayer's a new benefit for the team coming in as a defensive specialist. And Taya VanLengen as well. She was a Libero, but we kind of moved her to the outside, and she's going to be pretty good for us to help us out."

Newcomers include Jill Grovijohn at outside and right side hitter, Lexi Brester, Jayda Bazata, Audrey Coufal, and others. Brooklyn Macholan returns as a middle hitter as well.


McKenna Klosen, Tonya Brester, Jessi Brester, Hannah Bayer, Erin Prusa, and Grace Dvorak all graduated last year.

Coach Janke certainly has a lot of talented girls to work with, and even though numbers are kind of low I fully expect the Jaguars to have success.

Janke has worked with these girls the past few years and that should really help.

I think the transition from Coach VanLengen to Coach Janke will be a smooth one.

If Howells-Dodge can play up to their potential night in and night out I think great things can happen for this team.

The Jaguars lost Madyson Cech to a torn ACL so they will definitely miss her height as they will be a pretty small team, but Howells-Dodge just simply has to have different girls step up on a nightly and game-by-game basis.

If anything the Jaguars have to rally around the injury of Cech and go on to have the type of season they are capable of having.

Howells-Dodge has to work hard and come to practice with a positive and I can do attitude each time out.

If the Jaguars do that then they can do anything they put their minds to.

Season Outlook:

Howells-Dodge gets their season started on August 29th against Oakland-Craig at home.

Janke says the team is working on being a more cohesive unit.

"For us it's a lot about team bonding. We are working a lot on communication, which is one as a team we agreed that needed to get better. Just communicating with each other and not getting frustrated and having a positive attitude. And I think as far as that's gone we've done a pretty good job of overcoming that."

Team bonding activities off the court are important as well I feel.

Having a game night or a team dinner at players' homes if the team doesn't do that already are both good team bonding activities, in my opinion.

The Jaguars have a lot of work to do this season, but there's no doubt Howells-Dodge can be successful if they work hard and learn each and every time out.

I feel the schedule sets up very nicely for the Jaguars.

The toughest part of the schedule is towards the end of the season, but by that time Howells-Dodge should be playing their best Volleyball.

I think it will be important for the Jaguars to stay healthy, although that goes for any team really.

But especially Howells-Dodge because they are low on numbers compared to years past.

The Jaguars have to be hungry and have to play with a winning mentality every time they take to the floor.

Howells-Dodge has to put fear into their opponents and be the type of team no one wants to play.

The Jaguars have to bring it night in and night out and not have any off nights if at all possible.

Howells-Dodge has to bring the lunch pail to the gym for every practice or match, and be serious, yet have fun at the same time.

The Jaguars have to play smart, but aggressive Volleyball, and pick and choose their spots to attack or set something up for the next play.

Howells-Dodge has to get fired up each time they play the game, and come to practice and matches excited, motivated, and highly energetic.

2019 Howells-Dodge Jaguars Volleyball Schedule:

08/29/19 Oakland-Craig
     08/31 (To Be Determined) Winside Quad (4-Team Round Robin) Winside
09/03/19 Clarkson/Leigh
09/10/19 Pender Triangular (host: Howells-Dodge)
09/10/19 Emerson-Hubbard Triangular (host: Howells-Dodge)
     09/14 (To Be Determined) Howells-Dodge Tournament (4-Team Round Robin) Howells-Dodge
09/17/19 @ Wakefield-Allen
09/19/19 Logan View/Scribner-Snyder (LVSS)
09/24/19 @ Lutheran High Northeast
09/26/19 Pender Triangular (host: Cedar Bluffs)
09/26/19 Cedar Bluffs Triangular (host: Cedar Bluffs)
10/01/19 Wisner-Pilger Double Triangular (host: Wisner-Pilger)
10/01/19 BRLD Double Triangular (host: Wisner-Pilger)
10/05-10/05 (To Be Determined) Clarkson-Leigh Invite (1-Day Tournament, >4 Teams) Clarkson
10/08/19 @ Stanton
     10/12 (To Be Determined) Humphrey-LHF Round Robin (4-Team Round Robin) Humphrey
10/17-10/19 (To Be Determined) East Husker Conf. VB Tour. (2/3-Day Tournament) Pender High School
10/22/19 North Bend Central
10/24/19 Tekamah-Herman