Volleyball Victory

The Fair Grove Middle School 7th and 8th grade volleyball teams swooped down and snatch the title of the 2021-2022 Mid Lakes Conference champs on Saturday, October 9th.

When the leaves start to turn into beautiful colors of autumn, the fall sports are also coming to a close. This year the 7th and 8th grade volleyball teams had great successes dominating within the Mid Lakes Conference. Coaches Brooke Perry and Haley Stallings preside over the 7th and 8th grade teams respectively. Both Perry and Stallings expected great effort from both teams. Perry explained, “The expectation was to finish our season strong! We were undefeated going into our championship game. I believed in every girl wearing a Fair Grove jersey, they could reach this goal!”

With great success comes great preparation. Stallings spoke upon what the 8th grade team did to prepare for the game. “We prepared for this game by changing our lineup to best suit our needs as a team. We also practiced every day with some specific drills that pinpointed our weaknesses the last time we had played Clever…” explained Stallings. The 7th grade team also used similar strategies to prepare for the district championship game. Perry shared, “The week leading up to the tournament, we tried a variety of rotations and transitions on the court to find the best fit. We, of course, practiced hard but enjoyed our last week of volleyball. We enjoyed many games, drills, and, maybe, karaoke…”

As the newly titled champs of the Mid Lakes Conference, the outcome of the game are just as important as the title. Expressing her great feelings of pride, Stallings stated, “I am extremely proud of the girls and the outcome of the season. They are the best kids I know and they worked extremely hard to earn the success they have had.” Over the course of the season, the 7th-grade team went undefeated only losing one set throughout the season. The 8th-grade team also had a very fruitful season with the final stats closing out as 10-4.”

Both groups are beginning to grow older and become even more experienced and one question must be asked, is next season going to be just as promising? Stallings explained, “I believe the tournament was an accurate reflection of our team’s success. Our 7th-grade team went undefeated all year, which is an amazing accomplishment. Our 8th grade was not undefeated; however, we battled through some adversity and difficult situations to go undefeated in our tournament and take first place. These girls are winners on and off the court.” Perry expressed that she believed the 7th grade team will grow into phenomenal players. She expects next season to be just as bountiful, if not even more.