Spikers seek strong end to season

With just one more week of play left in the regular season, the Lady Dragon volleyball team is 31-14-6, and is looking to carry their strong tournament play through to next week.
‘We’ve played really well in our tournaments,? said Coach Bob Howey, but noted the team won their last league match, but stumbled a little before that in the season. ‘We didn’t end up as high in the league as we wanted to. We ended up about middle of the pack.?
Two weeks ago, the Lady Dragons played in the Beats to the East tournament against some high-caliber teams.
They split with Bedford, ranked in the top six in the state, and beat Milford and Lakeland, two games each. The girls lost to Fraser, who eventually made it to the finals.
This past Saturday, the team traveled for a tournament in North Branch and lost in the semifinals.
The tourney put the team at 31-14-6 on the season.
The record contains ‘A few more losses than we’d like to see,? said Howey, but the team set out to get 30 wins this season and pulled it off.
Now the girls have to work on playing consistently for the upcoming matches, according to the coach.
‘We’re going to work on the weaknesses we have right now in practice. We’re going to concentrate on our speed and transition, talking and communicating more on the court, and just trying to get some consistency,? Howey said. ‘They’re a great group. They’re really close and they work hard and try to have fun as much as they can. They’re talented; they just have to show up when it’s time to play.?
He predicts a win for Wednesday’s league tournament, Oct. 27, and a good performance in the tournament Saturday, Oct. 30. Howey also has his sights set on the district title, though he says opponents like Rochester Adams won’t make it an easy run.
In district matchups, the Lady Dragons will face Romeo, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. The winner will take on Rochester Adams, Nov. 4, with the finals Nov. 6.