Auburn volleyball has tipped off its competition segment of its spring in preparation for the upcoming 2015 season.
“Right now, its about getting people on the other side of the net and getting the competitive juices flowing, but at the same time, working on the things we do everyday in practice,” said coach Rick Nold. “It’s a little bit different mentality.”
Returning a young team with 12 letter winners and two seniors from last season, Nold said they are focusing on keeping a competitive mentality in spring practices and matches.
“I think that’s something we’ve come a long way in,” Nold said. “We’ve changed a lot from the way we approached things in the fall. We still have a ways to go. To understand what spring is about definitely helps.”
The Tigers finished 13-18 (8-13 SEC) in 2014 and 10th in the league standings. Much of Auburn’s success on the court came when freshman setter Alexa Filley played her best.
Last year, Filley broke the Auburn single-season 25-point rallying scoring record for assists with 1,175 total assists while averaging 10.22 assists per set.
The setter from Louisville, Kentucky, may have set career marks in her first season on the Plains, but Nold said she can step her game up in a number of areas in 2015.
“I think a lot of it comes with experience,” Nold said. “I feel good about the things she did during the fall, but we’ve talked about what more can she bring. She can do a lot of new things for us, and we can find some way to take advantage of that.”
Filley said the main areas she has been working on this spring is her serve and communicating effectively with her teammates.
“I think we are feeling pretty comfortable,” said junior libero Taylor Schill. “We are all practicing new things, so sometimes it can get a little awkward. You’re doing things that you are not used to doing.”
Schill also said the spring has served as an opportunity to build team chemistry.
“We’re making improvements, but I think we are coming together as a team and playing better overall,” Schill said. “We still have a long ways to go, but, this season, I think we are a different team.”
The Tigers have traveled to Atlanta and Birmingham to compete in road matches this month and will wrap up the spring slate Saturday, April 25, at Western Kentucky.
“We’re basically fixing a few areas where we need to make improvements,” Nold said. “Really focused on those little skills. I think we’ve made a lot of progress. Each week, we are looking for something new and better results here and there. I feel like we are moving in the right direction.”
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