With volleyball season underway, the 2020 Lady Bears have a target on them due to their successful season last year, but this is a new year and a new team that will not be satisfied with last year’s success. 

The 2020 Lady Bears’ Varsity Head Coach is Rhonda Williams, who came to LCM at the beginning of last year. This year’s team is fairly young, as seven varsity players graduated last year.

“Some of the key players from last year’s team were sophomores, and several JV players have worked hard to step in and replace those seniors who graduated,” Williams said. “Therefore, I believe that we can pick up where we left off at the end of last year and make this season even better than before. My goal this season is to improve statistically from last season. Our dig percentage, ace percentage, and block percentage were all on the low side in my opinion. We’ve been working to improve in those areas.” 

This year’s volleyball team has seen its fair share of challenges, with COVID-19 being one of them.

“COVID- 19 has brought about many changes this season,” Williams said. “We must wear masks, we can’t sit close to each other on the bench, we can’t shake hands with the other team, and we can’t switch sides between sets. But it’s teaching us to be more aware of our surroundings and how to adjust. I stress to my players daily to stay safe, wear your mask, and social distance. If we want to complete our season, we must comply with the guidelines.”

Hurricane Laura has posed an even bigger challenge than COVID-19. While other schools have continued to practice and play games, the Lady Bears were unable to practice for two and a half weeks. They also had to cancel matches, including district matches. 

“That (Hurricane Laura) was the worst time for me because there was so much uncertainty as to when we could start playing again,” Williams said. 

 The season has only begun and there are still many upcoming district matches. As of now, the Lady Bears are 1-1 in district, with a loss to Lumberton and a win against Orangefield. 

“We are early in our season, the best is yet to come,” Williams said. 

The Lady Bears’ next district game will be this Saturday, Sept. 26 at home against West Orange-Stark. JV will play at 1 p.m. and varsity will follow.