Sturgis volleyball secures win in Sarah Arreola's debut
· Yahoo Sports
STURGIS — Sarah Arreola kept her nerves in check pretty well on Wednesday, Aug. 19.
She was confident in being able to do so, but as a varsity head volleyball coach, she was ready for anything as well.
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Arreola returned to the sidelines after a long stint away from being a varsity head coach. She's been an educator at Sturgis High School for a bit, but Wednesday evening was her first experience as a varsity head coach for the orange and black.
It went well, by her standards. Sturgis opened its season with a three-set victory over visiting White Pigeon, 25-18, 25-11, 25-21.
"I'd say it was a nine out of 10," Arreola said of her first varsity head coaching experience for Sturgis, noting it was the first match for both teams and there are plenty of things to continue to work on. "When they are enjoying what they do, we are at our absolute best. They know it. When we started having fun, you saw smiling and lots of noise. It makes things easier."
Sturgis has adopted a program motto of "Unity." Arreola and her coaching staff, including head assistant Linda Phillips, are all on the same page.
Arreola said that is going to be a big thing for the Trojans moving forward. Team culture plays a big role in her demeanor, and with being the new leader of the program, she understands the expectations of that.
With expectations comes the understanding of putting in work and doing things the right way. Arreola and her staff believe their way of coaching is the right way, especially for this group of student athletes.
"We want to build together so we aren't all separate, we all have the same expectations," Arreola said. "It can be hard, but I don't mind setting expectations. Everyone knows what we will be doing. We are a team that works together, encourages each other. We all have the same goals."
Cora Phillips led the Trojans with five kills on the night. Both Madelyn Oswald and Kendall Oxender registered two kills.
White Pigeon was led by Kadance Smith with 11 kills, Arianna Back scored five and Riley Richardson recorded four. Addison Smith finished with 11 digs. Kate Montandon passed out 11 assists.
The Chief are young with four freshmen and two sophomores in the lineup, but coach Melissa Swinehart said her team will continue to grow.
"We made some great runs, we led most of the third set and we learned a lot about ourselves and team tonight," she said. "We have some easy fixes to make that will drastically change the momentum of our game. I love the aggressiveness at the net."
For Sturgis, Arreola wants the team culture and unity to spread throughout the community.
"I want little girls, when they start going to school, to look at our team and say, 'I want to be like them, I want to play on that team,'" she said.
And while she may have gotten a little close to the 10-foot-line, which coaches are supposed to avoid, Arreola said she's pleased with the progress her team has made in a short amount of time. She was excited about the Trojans' serve-receive, which she said they have been working hard to improve.
It's all still a work in progress, though. And with everyone on the same page, Arreola expects it to be fun.
"I am thrilled to be their coach," she said.
Both Sturgis and White Pigeon will continue their seasons at the St. Joseph County Tournament. This year, Constantine High School will play host to the annual event, which begins at 4 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 24.
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This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Sturgis volleyball secures win in Sarah Arreola's debut