Playing closer to home this season, Frontier volleyball staying positive

It looks to be a never-ending, recurring concept, but owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the Frontier Regional Faculty ladies volleyball program’s unfathomably long streak of 15 straight Western Massachusetts titles – spanning across three individual decades – won’t have a possibility to lengthen this time. Not mainly because the Pink Hawks don’t have the talent to do so, but as a substitute since the sport has no programs to maintain a postseason match.

Cue the recurring concept.

Even though the Red Hawks are accustomed to hoisting trophies come mid-November, this yr will offer you various newborn routines and rituals. The defending MIAA Division 3 condition champions will as an alternative glimpse to love their last prospect to choose the court with this year’s senior course. That, and maintaining a optimistic state of mind although being grateful that they are all in a position to contend all through this pandemic-stuffed yr, according to head coach Sean MacDonald.

“We definitely want to attain two things this calendar year,” MacDonald explained. “We want to give our seniors the greatest senior yr they can have less than these conditions, and we also want to get ready every person else for the tumble of 2021.”

MacDonald claimed he is thrilled to have the opportunity to participate through the “Fall 2” stage of large university sports activities. He iterated that this season is a excellent possibility to shake off some of the rust that the long layoff may perhaps have prompted, while doing the job on certain aspects of the activity that he feels his group might need to have some more do the job with.

Drive is a person thought of practice that can be a point of rivalry for some courses without having a postseason to glance ahead to this time. For a application like Frontier, not ending the season with lifting a trophy would ordinarily constitute a down calendar year, but this year there will be no opportunity to do so. With no that championship part hovering over tactics and matches, it could make target a problems. To MacDonald’s jubilation and delight however, that is not the scenario so far via the early part of preseason.

“I haven’t found a true fall off in electrical power, effort and hard work, or perspective in apply as a result significantly,” MacDonald said. “You can convey to just how psyched they are to be out there playing, and there is going to be some actually fantastic opposition in our health club when I split up the squad [for intrasquad scrimmages].”

In a long time prior, Frontier often traveled all about the condition to perform some very reliable teams that would challenge them greatly through the unbiased part of the plan. This calendar year, Frontier will only have the chance to enjoy Franklin County educational institutions, as the area’s courses have been bubbled collectively, substantially like other athletics through the fall and winter seasons.

MacDonald dismissed the idea that the competition will not be as difficult, noting that he and his players are satisfied to engage in some of the extra nearby teams, with the possibility of participating in from friends and rosters they are a lot more acquainted with.

“I actually have no plan, because I have not played some of them in a extensive time, what groups like Mohawk, Pioneer, Greenfield and Mahar are going to have to offer you,” MacDonald explained. “We applied to be in a league with all these teams, so we’re surely psyched to play them all once more. I’m hunting forward to competing versus some community groups and not having to invest several hours on long bus rides.”

Looking at that numerous teams from other areas of the condition participated in volleyball during the common drop year, policies and rules for the sport have been set for a although. MacDonald stated his staff experienced some fall procedures in which they adopted each and every rule closely, to most precisely simulate what a match would search like.

A single rule in the tumble that had a massive impression on how matches unfolded ended up the “COVID lines” that were positioned on the floor. It was a line that was 3 ft on a single side from right under the web, and a few feet on the other. This was to assure that gamers from respective teams would keep on being a overall of six feet aside through every rally. With the guidelines that ended up unveiled for the “Fall 2” season, that was the only rule that was eradicated.

Each other regulation – wearing masks, no coin toss to begin the match, no switching benches following each individual sport, and the place the substitutes are positioned – that was assembled in the drop of 2020 is continue to in spot, nevertheless there are no polices that must influence the gameplay right.

While Frontier had its eyes established on a 16th consecutive Western Mass. trophy, continuing postseason successes and marks will have to hold out until finally following yr. MacDonald explained the Hawks are making an attempt their ideal to not empower the disappointment to correlate to negative attitudes or inadequate enjoy on the court docket. They may well have new opponents and new procedures, but glance to see the same dominant and dangerous Frontier device out on the court as soon as once more this “Fall.”