IVA Challenge #2

After losing a tough three game set in pool play 15-13 in the third game the Panthers game back strong to win the crossover match to finish 3-1 on the day and take 1st place.

Congratulations Panthers!

Central Zone Championships

The Panthers played some very good teams from Cinncinati and Decatur losing both matches on Saturday morning.  The afternoon brought more of the same, the Panthers pushed their opponents from Union and Rockport to three games but lost both matches.

On Sunday the Panthers lost a close 3 games set to a team from Louisville to finish 4th in the bronze division.

Improve Passing.

In order for the team to win against tougher opponents, the team must get better at passing tough serves.  Most of our losses were a direct result of not being able to pass the ball well enough to keep the ball in play.  The girls need to learn to be ready when the ball is served.  Focus on how the server hits that ball.  Are they taking a big swing, are they jump serving?

Don't wait to get ready after the ball is struck.  A small "HOP" to get up on the balls of their feet will get them ready.  If you watch tennis on TV,  the receiving player comes up on their toes when the ball is being served.  The same little 'Tennis Hop" will work receving a volleyball serve.  The receivers need to be in a balanced neutral  position and ready to move in any direction.

In order to be a good passer you have to want the ball to come to you. Even if the ball is served to someone else, every players needs to move toward the player receiving the ball and be ready to assist if the ball is not passed to target.  If your standing still and watching, your not helping the team. On several occasions we would have recovered from a bad pass if everyone had been turning and facing the person receiving the serve.

We will be moving our receivers a littles closer to the net to avoid being short served and encourage them to take any balls at or above their shoulders using an overhand pass. We have a tendency to want to forearm pass every ball and we stand too deep in the court.

Tougher Serving.

Another way for us to win more games is by serving tougher. We will continue to work on driving the ball low and hard between the top of the net and below the top of the antenna.  The ball should be lifted in front of the servers hitting shoulder and then struck with the heal and palm of the servers hand.  If the server is having to wait for the ball to come back down before they can strike it, they are probable tossing the ball too high.  For a hard driven floating serve the server's hand should finish with their fingers pointing at the ceiling. 

Toss the ball in front of you so that after your second step the ball is still 6-8 inches in front of your nose. This will keep you from leaning back or reaching behind you, which results in top-spin. Now, keeping your hand flat and perpendicular to the floor as you slap the back of the ball. You must resist the temptation to pull your fingers downward and to follow through with your swing, which will also result in creating top-spin.

A knuckling ball will fly farther than a top-spin serve, so keep that in mind when choosing what kind of power to put behind your hit. The ball will also have the tendency to drop suddenly as it slows, especially if the air in the gymnasium is warm, so don’t be afraid to hit deep. A succesfull floating serve will have no spin and will move alll directions much like a knuckle ball in baseball.  

Top Spin Serve

You will need to lift or toss the ball slightly higher when hitting a top spin serve.  Leave your left arm extended upward as though pointing at the ball, the way a tennis player does during their serve. This will help you concentrate on the ball and help keep your shoulders square to the court.

At this point it is critical that you put all other thoughts aside and keep all your concentration, and your eyes, on the ball. If you take your eyes off the ball, even a little, you will mis-hit and not achieve good top-spin. Now, lean slightly back on your second step and swing your right arm up at the same time you are pulling your left arm down, which will add power to your serve.

You want to contact the back of the ball with your arm fully extended and your hand open but rigid, with your fingers slightly separated, giving you good contact on the ball.

Top-spin is achieved by pulling your wrist forward and down as you contact the ball. Good follow-through with your right arm is very important when trying to create the greatest amount of top-spin, which will cause the ball to arc over the net and drop sharply into the court.

One of the greatest benefits of the top-spin serve is that if you aim deep enough the back row players on the opposing team will often think the ball is going beyond the end line and let it go. However, the top-spin will force the ball down into the court, often on or just inside the baseline, giving you that much coveted, “ACE” serve.