Young Lady Jackets will use early games to prep for competitive district

Posted 8/26/21

“The gym is always open,” stated TaShara Everett, Mineola Lady Jacket head coach. Everett is beginning her third year leading her alma mater and is excited to be transitioning Jacket …

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Young Lady Jackets will use early games to prep for competitive district

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“The gym is always open,” stated TaShara Everett, Mineola Lady Jacket head coach. Everett is beginning her third year leading her alma mater and is excited to be transitioning Jacket volleyball from the learning phase to the execution phase. 

A number of varsity returnees will form the basis of the 2021 Lady Jackets. Among them however, only Madison Bloodworth, Aubrey Dowdle, Kozbie Riley and Riley Weekly have had much live court time. The balance of this year’s team will come up through Everett’s junior varsity and junior high programs. 

“We all speak the same language,” explained Everett. It is clear that the coach places high value on learning the game, and Lady Jacket methodology, at the very first level of competition.

“When I say ‘drop, cover, or pull’ everyone in the organization knows what that means,” she continued.

The Lady Jackets will need every bit of that mutual understanding. District 13-3A DI is a volleyball district. 

Perennial volleyball powers like Quitman, young teams at Harmony and Mt. Vernon and a returning successful coach at Mount Pleasant Chapel Hill make the district competitive and very unpredictable.  Winona rounds out the district.  

It also means that the Lady Jackets will be forced to be on their game each time they take to the court. It should be a bit easier this year than last as the normal routines and protocols should be in place. The return of pre-district tournament play should sharpen skills earlier in the season. 

In addition to a short summer camp, the Lady Jackets will have the benefit of spring and summer league play. Varsity and junior varsity squads competed last spring in the league operated out of Gilmer. 

Competition against large schools like Longview and Pine Tree highlighted the spring league. The proximity of the summer league, conducted at Grand Saline, allowed Mineola to participate with five teams: varsity, junior varsity, 8th grade and two 7th grade teams.

According to Everett, the variety of teams and experience of playing larger schools not only honed volleyball skills but also provided valuable team experience in a variety of conditions.

“There were moments when the team really clicked,” Everett shared. Former Lady Jacket players coached all the Mineola teams in the spring and summer leagues.

The Lady Jackets will also be benefiting from the Mineola athletics weight-lifting program. Time in the weight room building strength and flexibility is a standard part of the athletic experience in East Texas schools. In season, the team will lift twice per week, in the offseason thrice.

As the players build their team chemistry and work toward district play, Everett will be nurturing the qualities of discipline, pace of action and collective responsibility among them. She explained that the team will be designating captains this season.  

These rotational positions will be responsible for various team aspects of the volleyball experience.

“It is designed,” Everett explained, “to build leadership traits in those responsible for the actions of others.”

As for the volleyball, Mineola fans can expect to see a faster-paced game. Key to the Lady Jackets’ strategy is to move the ball more quickly, forcing the opponent’s defense to make even quicker decisions. Once inside the opponent’s decision cycle, the options available to win a point increase.

For Everett, the joy of volleyball is simple.

“Everyone has to touch the ball,” she related. “It is an ultimate team sport, and cannot be successfully played without building a true sense of team.”