The groove. That mystical place in life where everything is going well.
More importantly, that place you get to in the sports world were everything just clicks.
Question is, how do you get "in the groove?"
Playing "Shake Your Groove Thing," by Peaches and Herb is not the right answer, although a good jam.
The trick to getting in the groove involves several things. The things you can control are things such as getting your reps, practice, being together as a team, focus, discipline, effort and others.
Things you can control to a point. Scheduling of who you play and when, where you play, when you take days off, health of players and others.
The things you don't control. The teams you are playing and their groove, health of players, and if the sports planets are aligned on every given night or day. There are many other variables that fall into this category but it does not change the thought process.
The bottom line is, as a team you either get into that mystical groove and make your days go easy, or you fall out of the groove and living is tough.
The Loboette Volleyball team started the season in scrimmage play with back-to-back losses to Trinity and Plainview way back on August 6th. Since that time, they found a five game winning streak in early September and before struggling a bit through the River Road Tournament at Amarillo the Loboettes are two-and-one in recent history and ready to open a district field on a four game home stand.
Back to the groove.
In the first week of August this was a team that the groove seemed like a river in China. It was just that far away. Now the groove is like walking across town. It is truly that close.
For the assets that this team can control they have many of these items on the lip of the cup. This team is to a point where the flow is much better than August. Players are falling into the system, as their game is crisper and faster with less unforced errors. Is it a team that has talent and balance of talent.
Senior Clarrisa Hurn is just talented. Quick, good sports sense, and really can cover a wide variety of needs for the Loboettes. Toss in senior Kendall Wheatherred. This senior seems to get better every night as an outside hitter and despite the lack of height, Wheatherred is learning to do a lot with her skill set. Add senior Mari Flores from the libero position. Quick is the word. She gets to a lot of balls that maybe should not be gotten due and really shows promise from the service line.
The big hitter, junior Morgan Riley has real promise. For a big gun style hitter with very good speed and power, she also shows development of court vision or where and how to hit a ball to garner the kill the team needs.
The sophomore class shows great talent. Tara Blair is not the tallest player in the world but certainly can play that way. As her kill numbers come up, she also shows good setting skills and is a threat from nearly everywhere on the floor from the service line to the kill line. Lauren Morrow has proved a pleasant surprise. Morrow shows steady improvement in all aspects of the game and will prove a force down the road. Newcomer Alex Herrera still remains a bit of a question mark. Despite a short tenure in the lineup she does give the Loboettes another weapon on the horizon as she could turn into another solid outside hitter befor all is said and done.
Sometimes freshman are looked at as roster and bench fillers but not in this case not true. Brooke Durham is coming along as she covers frount line duty when Flores steps off the floor. At this point Durham will be good for a couple of kills and a block or so a ballgame but has shown marked improvement since the opening of the year. Meanwhile Sydney Shakespeare's minutes of play continue to come up as she again gives the Loboettes options in the outside hitter slot. Morgan Himango falls into the Clarris Hurn mold. While Himango lacks experience as just a freshman, she shows promise as a utility player. She serves fairly well, has good court speed and appears to be attacking the ball and the game with more confidence. Toss in young Brittany Caddell as an improving threat in the back row and you have a nice crop of freshmen.
So with talent and promise this team has started to click or as first year Loboette Coach Ebony Williams says "Are getting comfortable with each other."
Williams along with other Levelland athletic staffers have put this team in a good spot with their scheduling abilities. The Loboettes were scheduled for a seven day break, but Coach Williams was able to fill it and with a solid opponent. For a seasoned team seven days off is not such a bad thing, but a team on the learn needs the reps and she got them with games against a very solid Lubbock Home School.
The scheduling gods were good as well to the Loboettes. In a district with peaks and valleys the Loboettes get to open with four home games in a row. The stretch includes tough district foes in Shallowater and Lubbock Cooper but for a team still knotting up the loose ends opening at home is a big advantage.
Of course it means road trips at the end of the district run, but by the time the Loboettes get back on a bus, they could be four-and-oh in a ten game district schedule.
The groove is there and the Loboettes are nearly in it.
The trick is to say there. Hall-of-Famer Johnny Bench once said, "Slumps are like a soft bed. They're easy to get into and hard to get out of."
Can the Loboettes avoid a slump? Time will tell the tale and the tale starts Saturday with the Shallowater Mustangs coming to Levelland.
Until we talk again, have a great day and be good to each other.
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