Published: November 02, 2009 09:53 am      

Breaking through

Duncan volleyball team looks to take the next step in 5A

A new bar was set for the Duncan volleyball program this season as the Lady Demons set a school record with 24 wins. With everyone returning next season, Duncan should be in good shape to venture into new frontiers.

The season ended in disappointing fashion as the Lady Demons dropped their first game in the regional tournament. The setback did not define the season, it only laid the foundation for next season as Duncan will be hungry to make noise in the playoffs.

“We want to get to the state tournament and win,” Duncan coach Randi Pawpa said. “That’s our main goal and the girls expect to be there.

“We should be able to really progress with what we can do as far as sets and take it to the next level. In the preseason, we will work on tougher sets and tougher hits. We want to push them harder.”

Duncan’s success seemingly came out of nowhere this season.

The Lady Demons dropped their first two games to Cement and Big Pasture before turning it around at the Cameron University Tournament.

“They went out with the mindset to win it and they did,” Pawpa said. “They had the mindset, they just didn’t put it all together from the start.”

Part of the reason for the early struggles was the youth and inexperience of the team. The Lady Demons only had one returning starter from the 2008 campaign and did not have the benefit of a senior on the team.

What the team did have was athleticism and chemistry. The season was not a week old before Duncan began to play to its capability and exceed expectations.

“I really expected us to make mental mistakes because we were so young,” Pawpa said. “But they did not play like they were young.

“It was rewarding to coach this group. It’s easy to coach girls that are all about the team and do well in the classroom.”

Numbers were down in the program this season but with everyone returning, Pawpa expects to have more participation at the sub-varsity level. One side benefit of being limited in athletes was that there was plenty of playing time to go around.

“We wound up with 16 from freshmen through high school but we didn’t expect to have a large group because we graduated seven and didn’t have a lot of incoming freshmen,” Pawpa said. “It benefited the younger kids because they got to play a lot. We have another small freshman class coming in. I am expecting six to eight if we are lucky.”

Pawpa expects the schedule to remain the same for the most part next season. The Lady Demons play a varied array of opponents, ranging from Cement to Lawton High School.

Duncan does not play many teams that it faces in the playoffs but the veteran coach does not expect that to be a hindrance.

“The schedule will pretty much remain the same,” Pawpa said. “We will play in the same three tournaments. We play enough teams to get ranked and stay ranked.”