Doug Balser and Ellie Jiang: Reagan would like to come together and build on last season's success - HighSchoolOT

Reagan head volleyball coach Doug Balser and senior defensive specialist Ellie Jiang had time to catch up with HighSchoolOT Triad reporter Zack Adams to preview the upcoming volleyball season. The Raiders were 16-1 overall (10-0 CPC 4A) during their late 2020, early 2021 campaign and lost to Green Hope (three sets) in the third round of the playoffs.

Welcome back to high school T. I'm Zach Adams that I'm joined this afternoon by a Reagan had volleyball coach, doug Bowser as well as Senior Diaz, I'm Ellie jang, I thank you all for joining me, Thanks for having exactly appreciate it any time. So the first question for you coach, just, what's the summer been like for Reagan in terms of team workouts practices and possibly even scrimmages in recent days. So it was obviously uh a little bit more of a normal summer than what we had last year, last year, we were starting at literally out in the field doing calisthenics, you know, but uh we're able to get back in the gym, a lot of our girls play club um and so they were playing through in some cases the end of june so we did about two days a week in there in the weight room, just working on some skills, making sure one of my big points for the summer is always getting that rest back in, especially those girls that are playing year round, the body just needs to recover so that we're fresh ready to roll. So a coach Reagan had an impressive season in late 2020 early 2021 by going 16 and one overall and 10 and oh and Central Piedmont for a conference action. Other Raiders, I did fall in straight sets though to green hope in the state playoffs. Just what takeaways did you have from the short sprint like it was definitely a sprint like and and uh you know, I just really proud of the girls, you know, last year's team obviously accomplished great things out on the court and, and some of that, uh, you know, we credit to the unity of the team, we were really young last year, we only played two seniors. Um, and we also started three freshmen, three sophomores in, in our top eight there. And you know, it was just the leadership of the older girls that came together, especially in the crisis. We're not in school. I mean, we didn't start back to school after our season was over. Um, and so we had to adjust to the mass, we had to adjust to the pandemic rules, we had to adjust the kids being out for, you know, quarantine for Covid here and there and the resiliency. Um, I was just so impressive and I think that's one of things that let us, you know, be so successful on the court is really coming into the season. Um, and we've got a strong conference. Easter site is fabulous and, and, and Davie is just always an outstanding program and West has got some solid players and, and our Reynolds and Glenn are on the upswing. So, um, you know, people didn't expect a ton from us. Um, so we were able to come in and work together really as a team. We didn't have necessarily one player that was the, you know, okay, this is our stand out, it's all about her. It's, you know, this game that's gonna be our outside, you know, kate and large and or this game is to be roddy tucker in the middle or you know, Marissa Alvarez is gonna come in as a D. S. And and do something. So it was just a real team effort and I think that resiliency and I'm a big preacher of athletics, you know, for life as well, I think that will really help these girls, you know, moving forward and other aspects of even outside valuable. So the next question is for you, Ellie even having a volleyball season was a challenge given COVID-19 restrictions that were in place whenever you all played last just from a player's point of view though, this was the adjustment period like a season ago. And uh I will. Are you all ready to have a sense of normalcy this fall? Um It was definitely different last year because we were kind of divided into groups, like the varsity team was split in half and so coming together was really hard. But I think, you know, everyone on the team, we're all friends with each other and it's really easy to just come together and be a team and I'm really happy that this year we kind of get to play together, we all get to play in the same gym and we still get to wear masks, but like it's okay because we're all together. So I coach besides L. A. Just for some student athletes that would play a key role for the Raiders this fall? So we've got a great group of young ladies. Um we've got a couple juniors that have been with us now for two years, kate margin on the outside, Riley tucker in the middle. Uh The mayor's Alvarez who will step in uh most likely is one of our our lobero for this year, replacing Casey Balzar, who was our starting Lovera last season. Um Jordan smart, you know, has been an out, she was a freshman last year, she's going to continue in that role of center. Uh Sarah Presnell did some work on the right side last year, we're looking at her some on the outside, so they're gonna all play a role and had a couple of new transfers in from out of state who I think you're gonna step right in and be key contributors. Ellie, like I said earlier is kind of our swiss army knife, you know, uh Ellie, you can't really pick a position for her, I need an outside, that's where she's going, I need a right side, she can do that and and as a d s um she's just really been working on that part of her game as well and I feel coffin having her in there as well. So so Ellie, I believe there were seven or eight seniors graduated off y'all's 16 win team. Just what were you able to gather from those girls? Uh well leadership wise that you'll be taking into being a senior captain this year. Well, most of them are like my closest friends, so they're kind of helping me out through this process. Sometimes I'll text and be like, what should I say? Like how can you help me with this? But I always looked up to them even when I was a freshman, I looked up to them as sophomores and I just, last year I kind of observe them and watched how they sort of lead the team and I'm sort of taking that into my leadership this year. So I'm another question for you, Ellie, although it was a roller coaster emotionally, I do have a favorite match or a moment off the court with your teammates that stands out from last season, I think my favorite memory is always just the bus ride home. It's always so much fun and we're all talking and sometimes we'll be seen together and it's just all around a lot of fun. So I coach, I want to focus on the schedule, a little bit of first course nonconference play Page, a weekend tournament, McMichael, A four Bush, North Surrey, West Oaks, North West Guilford and article in that out of league slate. Just what can you say about how those matches became a reality for Reagan? Um Well, so a lot of those are nice or traditional Reagan rivalries. The article Northwest Guilford um and and we've been playing that tri match for as long as I've been here, of course we had to stop it last year because we're only allowed a couple of games. Uh and that's just always a big test for us because those are two of the top programs in the state each and every year. Um Four Bush, actually I'm excited about uh Cochet Mark over there, she used to be the head coach at Catawba College where she's been a mentor of mine. So the fact that we get to kind of get on the cord and and see what we can do with that one. Um And page again, a lot of longtime rivalries in there were excited about going down to Carson. Um, Carson's hosting that tournament there. Uh, and that's just part of that new N. C. H. S. A. You get one tournament that, you know, three matches counts as one game or one match for the Overall whatever. Um that just let us get in those old 24 matches and I think those are important for the girls to really fine tune their skills. So now shifting to a conference play, the central Piedmont for a conference has expanded with two new additions, Davie County easter site, Glenn, Mount Tabor, Parkland RG Reynolds and West are joining Reagan in the CPC. Just whatever are some of your expectations for elite competition this upcoming fall, I think we have one of the most competitive leagues top to bottom. Um I mean, you you hit the Raleigh schools and you hit the charlotte schools and they've got some really strong teams at the top of Absolutely no doubt about that. But you know, up and down our roster, you know, East has got uh two of the, you know, two of the best players in the conference. Davies solid top to bottom. West has got just a premier outside hitter as well as some great other players have built around her Mount Tabor comes in and we did play them last year and I know she graduated a lot of seniors, but you can mount tables, always a strong opponent in the conference. And then the Glen and Reynolds Reynolds hired a new coach last year and she coach. Powers has just been really working that program and I expect to see a big shift in how they perform um as well, I don't know much about Parkland, but we'll see when we get on the court. So L. A kind of going off that previous question to coach, just what's it like playing in such a competitive volleyball conference and maybe you've been going up against i student athletes data, you're familiar with from playing club. Yeah, so we really have to work hard and we might have been like conference champions last year, but I feel like everyone coming into the season knows that they have to work hard to, you know, come out on top and really show everyone what we are because I feel like a lot of players, um, they all worked really hard and they all have like individually, all great, but coming together as a team is something that we definitely need to work on and I think we had that last year and I will definitely have that this year. So Ellie, I, do you have any personal or team goals for the upcoming season? I want, one of my personal was just to have fun. Um, and just, you know, come together after every point and celebrate every point. So the final question is out for you coach. Just what are a couple of factors that will help Reagan be successful this fall? Um you heard Ellie mentioned a couple of times just having fun, right the bus, she said her favorite memories, the bus ride home and then coming together and I feel like that really is a key that unity and, and that kind of stress that we had phenomenal leadership last year and we really bonded as a family and played together as a team and we beat teams that were probably, you know, on paper better than we were. Um, and I really feel like that's key for us. Again, we've got to make sure we come together, make sure we're supporting each other because when they're doing that on the court, that's when they thrive. We've got a lot of offensive options. Uh, we've got strong defense, we've got a lot of pieces in place. The X's and oh's are there. But you know, uh, if they're not working as a unit, it's really hard to be successful. And an L. A. Kind of pointed out that, you know, uh, we may have been conference champions last year, but we kind of came into last year under the radar this year. Everyone's got our game circle. So the girls are really going to have to to perform and and rise that level of play, I think, to be successful.

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