Prep volleyball preview: Malad looks to make another run at a state title despite key losses

MALAD CITY — The Malad Dragons return six starters from a 2023 squad that made it to nan 2A State Championship lucifer earlier falling to Melba High School.

The 2 losses, however, were monolithic ones, according to caput coach Camie Tripp. Both Adley Kimberling and Hallie Horsley person graduated since Malad’s runner-up decorativeness a twelvemonth ago.

As nan setter, Kimberling was nan de facto leader connected nan court. And Horsley, who now plays astatine Butte College, was nan team’s kills leader, averaging astir 20 a game, Tripp said.

“Two is simply a mini number, but nan effect of those 2 was beautiful important connected our occurrence past year,” Tripp told EastIdahoNews.com, adding of nan returning player, “The girls person knowledgeable success, truthful they cognize what it takes.”

Filling some holes will beryllium a group effort, according to Tripp. For starters, nan Dragons will move from a 5-1 discourtesy — which has 5 hitters astir a azygous setter and 2 backline defenders — to 6-2 discourtesy — which allows for six hitters to play disconnected 2 setters. The strategy alteration will bring much elasticity and little predictability.

As for nan finishing extremity of nan equation, Tripp said replacing 20 kills per crippled will beryllium a group effort, alternatively than a azygous woman being asked to capable Horsley’s role.

“This year’s hitters person to get that ‘kill’ mentality,” Tripp said. … “Overall, we’ll beryllium overmuch much balanced, from a hitting prospective — pinch our attacks coming from aggregate players, aggregate looks.”

Adding to that, Tripp said, Malad will “really request to hone in” connected defense.

“Defense has ever been 1 of our beardown suits, arsenic a team,” she said. “I would opportunity that, this year, that is astir apt our top strength, our defense.”

Defending and capitalizing connected mistakes from nan opposition, and finishing free balls will beryllium really Malad tin repetition nan occurrence of a twelvemonth ago, and return it 1 triumph further to manus a banner. That, Tripp said, has ever been and will proceed to beryllium nan extremity she discusses pinch her squad earlier each season.

“I would beryllium doing them a disservice if I didn’t deliberation we could still get it. That’s ever perfectly astatine nan beforehand of our minds,” she said. … “It’s conscionable who we are and what we do.”

Tripp and her squad are excited to get their play started Friday astatine nan Peg Peterson Invitational successful Pocatello.