Sports

Eagles soaring with confidence

By Matthew Semisch

08/26/2014

The volleyball team from Newburg-Westhope (N-W) opened its first week of practice on Monday full of confidence, and head coach Kaitie Fluhrer suspects she has her husband Layne’s high school softball team in part to thank.

Most of this year’s Eagles volleyball team also featured for the Westhope-Newburg-Bottineau (W-N-B) softball team last spring. The Sioux won the 2014 NDHSAA Class B West Region title and finished third at the state tournament.

N-W finished its 2013 season with a 9-19 record, but Kaitie Fluhrer has noticed a desire from her veterans to transfer their success from their spring sport to their fall one.

“They’re optimistic that there can be some carryover there from the softball team’s success into the volleyball team,” she said.

“There’s a lot of excitement there and confidence about themselves, and I can see it carrying over onto the volleyball court.

“They have that need, that urgency, that want to win, and that can only help us.”

Six seniors will make up the bulk of this year’s Eagles team. Maddy Lodoen, Lauren Mach and Paige Stratton served as their leaders as juniors a year ago, and they’ll be counted upon again in the new season, which opens next Tuesday against St. John in Westhope.

The experience and attitude is there, Fluhrer said, to compete this year for a District 11 title.

“I can see a district championship in our future as long as the girls keep their eyes on the prize,” Fluhrer said.

“The girls know where we want them to get to, and their goals are even higher.”