We had an awesome time at Family Fun Night on Friday, August 18th. Many players raised money for their individual player fees. We played BINGO and other games. We gave away a ton of fun prizes! Thank you to everyone who was able to donate their funds, time, and goods. 

We're extending the fun for 10 more days by posting our raffle baskets online. Tickets can be purchased for $5 each or 6 tickets for $25. To check out all of our items, visit our google form HERE. Raffle sales will close on 8/29 and winners will be drawn on the 30th. 

For the opportunity to sell boxes of chocolate to continue raising funds for individual player fees, please email Alexi to set up a time to collect the boxes at [email protected].

Have a GREAT fall season!

What I wouldn't give to be able to go back and play club volleyball again as a high school student! But, all good things must come to an end. This was the case for so many of our Rise players last weekend. Our 18s teams competed in Regionals in Lawrence on March 25th & 26th. We also had a senior (Grace) on a 17s team who ended her season a couple weeks ago.

I've been lucky enough to watch most of these kids grow up from little tiny volleyball players at 10-11 years old to now. I have been blessed to have employed several and coached some too! I look forward to watching you all take the next step in your journeys and hope you keep volleyball in your life some way.

#10 - Alex - committed to play college volleyball at Colby Community College
#4 - Ashlyn
#14 - Claire
#21 - Elena
#27 - Giulia - committed to play college volleyball at Park University
#18 - Gracie
#30 - Grace
#19 - Hailey - committed to play college volleyball at Friends University
#8 - Haylie
#2 - Heather
#16 - Izzy
#16 - Kaylee
#13 - Morgan
#23 - Samantha
#33 - Rylee
#32 - Valentina

Please enjoy this collection of photos - new and old :)

The definition of success from the American Heritage Dictionary is “the achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted”. In order to succeed in anything, you have to start by setting some goals. As a coach, I have a certain set of goals for my team. I use goal setting on a regular basis. It helps drive practice and give a sense of accomplishment. If there are no goals, you tend to just go through the motions. As a player, you should also have goals. You should discuss those goals with your coach(es) and parent(s). Speaking about your goals often will help keep you accountable to them!

Setting realistic goals is another concept to grasp. You must be specific, measurable, and within reach. If your ultimate goal is seemly out of reach, perhaps there are a series of smaller goals that will help you get there. Every sports game has 50/50 odds. I don’t bet for this reason. One team has to win and one team has to lose. Las Vegas would say the odds are different than 50/50 but I work in youth sports and no other odds seem to hold true. No matter how good (or inexperienced) you think your team is, you still have a chance at winning! I typically start a match with two goals – to serve well & to pass well. (I know before I said to be specific but I’m also relatively scatter-brained and it’s difficult for me to keep stats directly outside of serves missed.) If this is working, we will likely win the set.

If you come across a team that has players all 7ft tall, you may need to adjust your goals and expectations. Work on the things YOU can control. Define success in a different way by setting smaller goals. For example, serve at 80% or better. If you get the opportunity to serve, don’t start that next rally off by handing the ball back to the other team because you failed to serve it over the net. Minimizing unforced errors is a great way to give your best in a match. Send the ball to the other team and give them the opportunity to make a mistake.
​
Not everyone can win and you certainly can’t win all the time. By setting goals though, you should be able to measure improvement regardless of your opponent. Players and teams should see success throughout their season outside of their win-loss record. If you don’t have anything desired, planned, or attempted, you cannot succeed. Set small goals first, achieve them, and then set more! There’s always room to grow.

I’m not a writer, I’m a volleyball coach. However, when I start talking, I have a hard time stopping so we’re going to give this blog a shot. Maybe it’s more for me than it is for you but hopefully there are a few nuggets you can share.
Today’s topic is about what you know. Being a good volleyball coach is centered around knowledge. You don’t have to be a great volleyball player, but you do have to know a lot about the sport. Among many points of emphasis, a couple good ones are how all the positions work together and how to communicate well with players (and parents, and officials). This is absolutely a learned skill. You get better at coaching with practice. You take time to learn more about the sport – strategy, new drills, ways to communicate more effectively, etc. Each time we step on the court, we hope to be better than the last time we were there and to get more out of the players we have the opportunity to coach.
As an athlete, your goal should be to get better with each practice session. Advancing your skills and knowledge of the game is imperative. Learning the game is much more than just learning about your specific job because what if your job changes? What if your school coach needs you to do a different job than your club coach needs you to do? Now we are deep in the competition season meanwhile, spring sports are starting; athletes are tired and competing all the time, so injuries and illness are plaguing teams. What happens when your middle blocker lands wrong and can’t continue to play in the set? What happens if your setter jams her thumbs and is struggling to play the ball overhead without doubling? Your coach is looking for someone who has the knowledge to play that position and is willing to do a different job. As a player, your primary motivation should be to do what is best for your team. If you have the knowledge, you’re much more equipped to say YES to that decision and rock it.
At the youngest age group, we focus on fundamentals of all skills – even blocking for kids that can’t get above the height of the net. You never know who will be tall or have a 30” vertical. Laying the foundation is good for everyone to be able to continue to build on even if the information is something they don’t regularly apply in a match. This hinges on players taking every opportunity to learn the game that is given. Each piece of feedback can be applied to all players on the team. If the coach is giving feedback to a setter, a hitter or passer can absolutely benefit from the feedback too and vice versa.
Being a versatile athlete with a well-rounded fundamental base of both knowledge and skill WILL earn you more playing time during your playing career. Coaches like to have options and a utility player is valued. When the rubber meets the road, the athlete will benefit by being able to adapt and change as necessary.