MACHIAS, Maine — One of a coach’s toughest decisions often comes long before a team begins playing games.
Kelly Woodward hasn’t had to deal with the issue of cutting players from the Machias Memorial High School volleyball team in recent years, but the veteran head coach has made the most of those few players who have chosen to play for the Bulldogs.
This fall, with just seven players on the roster for a sport that requires six players on the court, Machias compiled a 13-3 record and advanced to the Class B state championship match for the first time in school history.
Woodward recently was honored for her role in that achievement, being named Maine high school volleyball coach of the year by the National Federation of State High School Associations.
“The numbers have been pretty small for the last couple of years,” Woodward said, also a fifth-grade teacher at the Rose Gaffney Elementary School in Machias. “Last year, I think I had eight or nine and a couple of years ago I had six and for one game I only had five players.”
Woodward has overcome those numerical odds — Yarmouth suited up 16 players to face the Bulldogs in the 2014 state title match — in part by stressing versatility and conditioning.
“Every player basically needs to learn every position because they’re going to be playing there,” Woodward said.
“And when they get to that fifth game in a match they’re going to be tired because they’ve played the whole match, so I try to get them in the shape they need to be in during the preseason,” she said. “We do a lot of cardio and strength training and plyometrics and things like that to get them ready for those long matches.”
The Bulldogs have also had to be creative in preparing for their matches without enough players on the roster for a full scout team.
“Some of the biggest challenges are with practices when we want to be in game situations with our whole team,” Woodward said, who previously was named 2014 Downeast Athletic Conference coach of the year. “It’s not easy to do because they need to be able to play against other people, but luckily my husband likes to play volleyball so I bring him over sometimes to scrimmage against them or a couple of friends of mine come over just so they can practice those game situations.
“That’s the biggest challenge, just being able to run drills that are game-like with just seven girls.”
Woodward was optimistic about the 2014 season as practices began last fall, since Machias had reached the Class B semifinals each of the previous two years.
“I was disappointed in the [participation] numbers,” she said. “But I looked at the girls I did have and knew they were serious about volleyball and really loved it, so I knew that they were going to give it all they had every single match.
“I wasn’t disappointed,” she said.
This year’s team consisted of seniors Gina Rackliff and Angleana Lyons, juniors Ciara Schoppee, Tate Dolley, Makayla Prout and Abigayle Hopkins, and sophomore Reagan Bragg. Schoppee and Lyons were the team captains.
Lyons and Dolley, both middle hitters for the Bulldogs, both went on to be named first-team all-state for their play this season, while Schoppee, a setter, achieved honorable mention status.
“They’ve just improved so much since their freshman year,” Woodward said. “When they’re freshmen here they’re starting on the varsity squad, so they have no choice but to step up and play like they’re on the varsity team. It doesn’t matter what grade they’re in, they’re on varsity so they’ve got to step up.”
