The Taylor Ducks varsity volleyball team hosted a pair of scrimmages this past weekend, taking on Thrall, Round Rock Christian Academy, Little River Academy and Killeen Chaparral.
The Ducks opened play Friday against Round Rock Christian Academy and Thrall.
Taylor head coach Sarah Neal said the opening day was a solid showing for her team as the Ducks got their first opportunity to compete against outside competition.
“I thought it was a pretty solid day,” Neal said. “It was the first day competing against someone other than yourself in practice, so the biggest thing was just getting everybody comfortable with rotations and the systems we have been going through.
They got out there and they were competitive, loud and the energy was great.”
Taylor returned to the court Saturday against Academy and Chaparral, Neal’s former team, and the Ducks were able to settle in after working through some first-day jitters.
“It was competitive, it was fast-paced, and it told me a lot about what we need to work on through the rest of the season,” Neal said. “But it did show me that the girls have a lot of grit and that they are willing to work and dig themselves out of holes when we get to that point.”
The first weekend of competition also gave Neal a better idea of where the Ducks need to improve heading into the regular season.
“I think it’s just a lot of consistency,” Neal said. “Introducing a new defensive scheme to the girls and then expecting them to go faster is tough. A lot of that is just getting them comfortable with the system through repetition and practice, being consistent with our ball placement and being aggressive with every chance we get.”
Despite some of the struggles, Neal saw plenty of positives from her team, particularly from veterans such as Laura Garza and Payton Burrow.
“I saw a lot of leadership,” Neal said. “There were a lot of kids who were willing to speak up for the team when it felt like we were getting in a rut.”
Neal also praised the Ducks’ ability to regroup when things began to go against them.
“Their ability to reset was positive,” she said.
“We did get in a couple of situations where we were getting kind of hammered, so we took a timeout and were able to reconvene and go out there and execute.”
Saturday’s matchup with Chaparral also provided a full-circle moment for Neal, who left the program this offseason to take over as Taylor’s head coach.
“I know Chaparral is going to be aggressive and competitive.
That’s something that we worked on the past couple of years,” Neal said.
“I think it really helped bringing Chaparral here so our girls could see what they are capable of.”
The Ducks opened regular-season play Tuesday against Rockdale before heading to Killeen for the Cen-Tex Queens of the Court Tournament, where Taylor will face a strong field of Class 6A competition.
With district play still ahead, Neal said the upcoming matches will be another opportunity for the Ducks to build confidence and improve their execution.
“I want to see us getting comfortable with the systems, being consistent, being aggressive and really pushing toward being fast,” Neal said.
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I want to see us getting comfortable with the systems, being consistent, being aggressive and really pushing toward being fast.”
— Head Coach Sarah Neal
