Scrappy Rockets getting it done
SLIPPERY ROCK — Bumps. Bruises. Strains and sprains.
Doesn't matter for the Slippery Rock High girls volleyball team.
The Rockets are going to do whatever it takes to keep the opponent from scoring a point.
Even if that means sacrificing the body to dive on the floor.
“Get taped. Take some ibuprofen. Move on,” says senior defensive specialist Becca McCandless, smiling.
Slippery Rock has succeeded this season by being a thorn in the side of the teams they are playing.
The Rockets have turned getting digs into an art form.
“It's just wanting to win so badly,” said senior Lexis Prementine. “Knowing that you're getting into their heads helps, knowing that there's nowhere they can hit the ball that you're not going to be there to hit it back.”
That was no more evident than in a match against Hickory last week.
Senior libero Taylor Balint had a career-high 50 digs in an epic five-set victory over the Hornets.
In all, the Rockets had more than 100 digs.
It was Slippery Rock's first win over Hickory in five season and it was one of several teams the Rockets have beaten this season in a second meeting after losing in the first.
“I feel like we are one of the scrappiest teams around,” McCandless said. “It just makes it so much fun when you can get down and dirty and get one off the floor. It's crazy. It's one of the most amazing feelings in the world. In your hear you're thinking, 'I don't know if I can get that,' and then you actually do and the whole team goes crazy.”
Senior middle hitter Annika Peale said she finds herself in awe at times at how relentless the Rockets' defense has been.
“It makes me so proud,” Peale said. “They want to throw themselves on the floor.”
Slippery Rock coach Danielle Busi has to laugh at how relentless her team is on defense.
When she starred for the Rockets, she was a hitter through and through.
“That's funny to me as a middle hitter that our strength is defense,” Busi said, chuckling.
The offense, though, is getting better.
Because it's had to.
“There's only so much defense you can play,” Busi said. “We had to start giving it back to them.”Slippery Rock is 5-7 after a loss to Conneaut Thursday. The Rockets had won four consecutive matches before that setback, including huge triumphs over rival Grove City and the Hornets.“I feel like Grove City was a good turning point,” McCandless said. “Beating them was one of the happiest things we've done all season.”Slippery Rock won just six matches last year and fell in the first round of the District 10 Class AAA playoffs.The Rockets feel like they are capable of more this season.“I feel like we've connected more,” Peale said. “We're talking it up. We're motivated more than ever.”Slippery Rock has gotten key contributions from a slew of players.Three players have 50 or more kills. Four players have 10 or more aces and three players have 130 or more digs.Balint already has 249 digs and is averaging more than 20 per match.“She's pretty much the backbone of our defense and she has a nice supporting cast to help her out,” Busi said.Balint said she rarely realizes how many digs she has piled up during a match.It isn't until long after the final point that she allows herself to take a peek.“I use it as a scale to see how well I'm doing,” Balint said. “I can tell off that if I had a good game or if I struggled.”Freshman Virginia Recchia has been a boon to the defense with 136 digs.Prementine has also piled up the digs with 227. She's also second on the team with 63 kills.Prementine said she takes a great deal of pride in being able to play all over the court.“It's nice to be depended upon, I guess, just because you know your teammates can trust you and you can trust your teammates,” Prementine said. “It's also about keeping in the moment. If you never leave the floor and you're in the match the whole time, you're head is constantly in the game. No timeouts. No breaks. It's just you and the other team.”
