Volleyball Recap

The FHS Lady Cats put up a huge fight during this tough season. The junior varsity ended the season with a 2-15 record, and the varsity ended with a 12-16-2 record. Coach Humphrey and Coach Ruetzel were very pleased with how the girls ended the season, accounting for the record by noting how rough the other teams were compared to our Lady Cats.

At the end of the season, all of the girls attended an Athletic Banquet and some received awards. Senior Taylor McMurry, junior Melissa Wulfert, and sophomore Mallory Mathes were awarded a plaque for all of their hard work throughout the season. Taylor was awarded the Lady Blackcat award because she was an all around great player, she never gave up on herself or the team and she always gave a 100% effort with everything she did. Melissa was given the Offensive award for having the most hitting attempts and kills on the right side, and Mallory was given the Defensive award for having over 280 digs and over 300 serve receive digs. Both coaches mentioned that picking one person for each award was a very difficult decision. They sat and looked at stats for hours and even asked Coach Gibbs who he thought deserved them the most because everyone on the team put in so much effort throughout the season.

Even though the season did not go as well as the team and coaches dreamed, they all played to their full potential and never gave up on themselves, no matter how tough the opponent was. It was also a really tricky season since the Lady Cat’s head coach Nickey Reutzel tore her ACL and had to get surgery in the middle of the season, leaving assistant coach Allison Humphrey in charge. For it being her second season coaching, she did an outstanding job helping the girls improve and helping them stay encouraged in playing the sport. Coach Humphrey mentioned that she couldn’t have done it without the help from the managers Justin Ellis and Carson Penwell. They both were always at the games, helping Coach Gibbs set up, and helping the girls get pumped up before the games. The girls were very thankful to have such amazing coaches and managers to help them keep their heads up from the exhausting games, tournaments, and practices, and also helping them to improve.