10 things you need to know about the 2014 Wellington Volleyball team…
by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — Ten things you need to know about the 2014 Wellington High School girls volleyball team…
1. Where we last left off…
Wellington’s season ended in 2013 with a 14-21 record and a first round sub-state loss to Mulvane 25-22, 15-25, 25-14. That most certainly on paper was nothing to remember in the history books. However, there were some very good signs in the making in October.
The 14 victories were the first time Wellington reached double-digit wins in years. In previous years, Wellington feasted on smaller schools to pick up wins. In 2013, Class 4A victories started to become a reality.
Four of the six regular starters in 2014 were sophomores. Eight of the 12 girls were underclassmen.
2. Enter Alison Widen…
Alison Widen
Wellington head volleyball coach Cherity Elder had resigned during the off-season because she had her fourth child and wanted to spend more time at home raising her family.
USD 353 then hired Alison Widen, an up and coming high school coach, who guided the Lyndon High School program for two seasons. She played for the Wichita State Shockers for a year and graduated from Concordia High School.
She said before the first practice during media day that her philosophy in volleyball is to emphasize team unity and consistency.
3. So who is back?….
Wellington most certainly is not lacking in experience going into the 2014 season. Currently, the six girls who started in some capacity in 2013, have been playing together since they were 12.
Abby Goodrum, Erin Goodrum, McKenna Oathout, Siarah Walker, Mariah Moore and Katie Ledbetter have been part of the same cohesive unit not in just Wellington but in club volleyball- the off-season part of the sport.
The Wellington volleyball team has been working together for several years and it was apparent at Friday’s public scrimmage. (Photo by Eric Rinehart).
4. Oh, the numbers….Â
Look at the team picture and we counted 42 volleyball players. Of those 42, 30 have been playing club volleyball.
For a full size version of this picture and individual pictures of the varsity team players click here.
5. When do things start up?…
Saturday – as in tomorrow if you are reading this article today or today if you are reading this article tomorrow. Wellington will be participating in the six-team “Early Bird Invitational†Winfield Tournament. It will open with Wichita Trinity at 8 a.m. and is assured five other matches throughout the day. The tournament also includes Conway Springs, El Dorado, Arkansas City and Buhler.
Trinity is a ranked in Class 4A and Arkansas City is always tough. Some would like to see Wellington get out of that tournament going 4-2.
6. The full schedule…
Wellington has three home dates. Fans can see this team play on Tuesday, Sept. 2. The other two dates will be Sept. 23 and Sept. 30 both Tuesdays.
Wellington will have two tournaments for which it could bring home a championship: the Chaparral and South Haven Tournaments. Clearwater Tournament on Oct. 18 will be much more daunting and will offer a preview of regional competition ahead.
| 2014 WELLINGTON VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE | |||
| VARSITY:Â | |||
| Date | Location | Time | Opponents |
| Sat, Aug. 30 | Winfield Tournament | 8 a.m. | six teams in round robin tournament |
| Tues., Sept. 2 | Wellington Triangular | 5 p.m. | Winfield, Rose Hill |
| Tues., Sept. 9 | McPherson Triangular | 5 p.m. | McPherson, Mulvane |
| Tues., Sept. 16 | Clearwater Triangular | 5 p.m. | Clearwater, Mulvane |
| Sat., Sept. 20 | Chaparral Invitational | 9 a.m. | Clearwater, C. Springs, B. Plaine, Chaparral, Kingman, Med. Lodge. |
| Tues., Sept. 23 | Wellington Triangular | 5 p.m. | Circle, Wich. Collegiate |
| Tues., Sept. 30 | Wellington Triangular | 5 p.m. | Clearwater, Wellington |
| Sat. Oct. 4 | South Haven Tournament | 8 a.m. | Teams TBA. |
| Tues., Oct. 7 | Rose Hill Triangular | 5 p.m. | Wichita Collegiate, Rose Hill |
| Tues., Oct. 14 | Circle Triangular | 5 p.m. | Andale, Circle |
| Sat., Oct. 18 | Clearwater Tournament | 9 a.m. | Teams TBA. |
| Tues., Oct. 21 | Buhler Triangular | 5 p.m. | Andale, Buhler. |
| Sat. Oct. 25 | Sub-State Tournament | TBA | |
| Fri.-Sat. State Tournament | TBA | ||
7. The Roster
An official team roster has yet to be released but here are the girls currently in the high school system:
2014 Wellington Volleyball Roster
| Dominique Vargas |
| Taylor Altendorf |
| Abby Goodrum |
| Alicia Seyfert |
| Emily Baum |
| Katie Ledbetter |
| Mariah Moore |
| McKenna Oathout |
| Siarah Walker |
| Stormie Tidwell |
| Tatum Haskins |
| Ashlyn Arebalo |
| Betina Flores |
| Brecken Lawrence |
| Callie Bannister |
| Devin Martens |
| Ella Parolan |
| Erin Goodrum |
| Kennedy Cook |
| Kira Hills |
| Morgan Hain |
| Rylee Vargas |
| Tayland French |
| Taylor Stewart |
| Adaysia Love |
| Brenna Turner |
| Cristin Holloway |
| Gracie Fink |
| Jenna Rausch |
| Jill Wiley |
| Keelie Cunningham |
| Kirstian Bruns |
| Liberty Palmer |
| Mariah Pruitt |
| Shayland French |
| Taylor McGlothlin |
| Valerie Ast |
| Zoey Maxwell |
8. The competition…
Like the football team, the volleyball will be seeing fierce competition. Both Rose Hill and McPherson are in the Class 4A Div. 1 top 10 poll and are both on Wellington’s schedule. In Class 4A Div. II, Andale is ranked No. 2 and Clearwater is ranked No. 7.
The full preseason Kansas Volleyball Association poll for both classifications are as follows:
Class 4A – Division 1
1. Bishop Miege
2. Louisburg
3. Topeka-Hayden
4. Rose Hill
5. Baldwin
6. McPherson
7. Wamego
8. Abilene
9. Andover Central
10. Ulysses
Class 4A – Division 2
1. Clay Center
2. Andale
3. Holton
4. Jefferson West
5. Frontenac
6. Goodland
7. Clearwater
8. Wichita Trinity
9. Colby
10. Santa Fe Trail.
9. Wellington will win…
If it cuts down on mental mistakes. Widen’s preaching of consistency will be a godsend to a team that in 2013 would get on a significant roll only for it to end on a team miscue or a serving error. Sometimes the team could never quite get that momentum back thereafter.
10. Wellington will lose…Â
Wellington has experience, team speed, and a desire to win. But that is an awfully daunting schedule in front of the Crusaders. Most teams will have a considerable size advantage over the Crusaders. A good middle hitter to square off against the bigger front lines of say McPherson or Rose Hill could be a problem all year for the Dukes.
