Burnet Lady Dawgs changes goals, prepares for another march
Every part of The Doghouse and the auxiliary gym at Burnet High School were being utilized in helping the Burnet volleyball staff make evaluations to determine roster spots for the 2022 season.
Head coach Crystal Shipley had an obstacle most coaches welcome. Everywhere she looked, she saw talent among the 47 athletes in grades 9-12, a testament to the Lady Dawgs themselves for their dedication to being their best and to their coaches for instilling in them a love of the sport. It also helps that the Lady Dawgs added a historical march to the Class 4A Region III tournament after earning three playoff victories and a share of the District 19-4A crown.
Three seniors return from last year’s team — McKenzie Davis, Addie Grace Hernandez and Lainey Rye — with senior Harlynn Roberts, who was on the playoff roster, and senior move-in Samantha Gaylord, who are all expected to set the tone for the program.
Most athletes don’t cheer before the beginning of a new drill, a new scrimmage or conditioning. But the Lady Dawgs welcomed every opportunity to impress their coaches. And that thrilled Shipley.
“The excitement,” she said. “The atmosphere is really exciting.”
She is entering her sixth season at the helm. That consistency of knowing the playbook, of having faith the same coaches with the same expectations will be in the gym allows players to feel comfortable and frees them to simply play.
“As their head coach, they know what I expect,” Shipley said. “And they know what they can do.”
They also have set higher goals. Last season, Burnet wanted to reach the regional tournament for only the second time in program history. Now the goal is to win the regional championship en route to getting to the Class 4A state tournament. That type of success isn’t by accident. Not only does it take on-court success, it also requires a closeness that goes building a rapport. Shipley attributed part of last season’s accomplishments to her asking her players to get to know each other in a one-on-one setting where they conversed and took notes. Then they had to share a new discovery about that teammate they didn’t know. Every week, they rotated until all the Lady Dawgs got to know each other away from the gym.
“We started meeting days before and after games,” the coach said. “We did a lot of film study, we did a lot of bonding. We kept a journal. They had to ask five questions to get to know each other, and they had to share with everyone. The one question you had to share and answer was what do you love about this person? When we did that, they respected each other more.”
The results showed on the scoreboard and in how the Lady Dawgs played — for each other — the rest of the season. Shipley didn’t reveal if this year’s squad will do the same task. Instead, she noted no more than 14 players will be on the varsity and each will be counted on to contribute in her unique way in a different district, 24-4A, that features Georgetown Gateway, Jarrell, Lago Vista, Lampasas and Marble Falls.
“We’ll have some old opponents and some new ones,” she said. “We’re getting two rivals back. Lago Vista is a good (former) Class 3A competitor. They’re going to have a good team. We’re two deep in every position. I don’t want them to repeat. I want them to go further. The goal is the state tournament.”
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