A scrappy season leads to success for Hiland volleyball

Scrappy.

That is the endearing term that Hiland volleyball coach Kelly Miller used to describe a Lady Hawks team that pushed its way to the top of the Inter-Valley Conference and became the Division VI East District’s top seed this season.

While scrappy may not exactly define a team filled with elite athletes and intimidating bangers at the net, Miller is absolutely fine guiding a bunch of scrappy players to great heights.

“It’s been such a fun season because this group prides itself on defense,” Miller said. “The girls work very hard on that end of the game, and it has shown on the floor.”

She said the team implemented the same style of defense last season, and thus, it became a comfort zone for them this year, where they picked up the defensive mantle and took it to heart.

Miller said the floor is continually littered with players diving on the floor, hustling after loose balls and pouring themselves into disappointing opponents who believe they have slammed home a winner, only to face disappointment when the ball gets dug up and put back into play.

That style of play can be demoralizing for opponents, and Miller loves the idea of how much it inspires her players when it happens.

“That’s become our MO,” Miller said of her team’s scrappy attitude and play. “I told our girls from the very beginning that it was going to be defense first. I know it’s cliché to say defense wins games, but it’s the truth. It frustrates other teams, and I’m proud of how these girls have worked so hard together as one unit to put that mindset and style of play together.”

Miller said that was the style of play she grew up with at West Branch High School and Malone College, and with that embedded in her heart, it was natural to share it with her players.

Miller said in past teams she has had to kind of push the idea of team bonding and create a variety of ways to do so. This season has been a different story, and she said this group bonded quickly and never struggled with the concept.

“I haven’t had to mention any type of team bonding this season, and that is a coach’s dream,” Miller said. “They truly enjoy each other. They celebrate one another’s accomplishments more than they celebrate their own. You see them get so excited for each other when they make a play. They constantly pick each other up, and they just really seem to enjoy seeing each other succeed because they know it’s all about the team winning when that happens.”

One exercise this team did initiate this season was to have each player choose a word, find a Biblical scripture to go with that word and define how that word is embedded in the world of volleyball.

Miller said they aren’t afraid to share their thoughts and ideas with one another, which only allows more natural bonding to take place.

She added that it is also setting a terrific example for her 10-year-old daughter to follow as she nears the time when she will don the red, black and white of Hiland on the volleyball court.

“I want my daughter to see and experience all of this as well as her classmates and all the other youth playing this game at Hiland,” Miller said. “I want this to be a tradition like so many other Hiland sports.”

All this team unity led to the number one seed in the East Sectional/District tournament, and she said they have talked at length about high achievements, including becoming the first team to earn a state berth and join the myriad of Hiland teams sporting banners in the Reese Center.

“We want to be part of the legacy of what is going on here,” Miller said. “We want a banner in the Reese, and we’re working hard to get it.”

She added that the work ethic in the district is amazing, and it’s because of that ethic and willingness to bond that she has found coaching so enjoyable.

It has led to a memorable season, regardless of where the final game takes place, and one that will provide meaning and memories in more ways than wins.