As the Lakeside Rams volleyball club gears up for the upcoming season, head coach Rhonda Thigpen directed a two-day workshop at Lakeside Athletic Complex with help from Ole Miss head volleyball coach Steve McRoberts.
McRoberts, who returned for his second camp at Lakeside, recently returned to the United States after he and his team toured Europe, where the Rebels played six international exhibition games.
McRoberts said that Lakeside's players were respectful and very open to his direction while accepting any instruction he had for them.
"This is a good group of girls," he said. "They work hard and are very open to instruction, and that's important for sure. It's the second year I've been able to come and do this camp, and in doing so, I've enjoyed working with them.
"They've got a really great coach in coach Thigpen, so you know they're getting coached well. It's definitely easier to come into a program where they've already been taught to be open to instruction."
McRoberts explained that the trip he took with his team prepared him for Lakeside's camp.
"It was a great experience for our team to get to go see a totally different culture," he added. "We got to visit multiple cities in those countries, play against some national teams and some different club teams. We had six matches over there, and we really got to see our team grow."
McRoberts and Thigpen explained that on Thursday, they both noticed an initial struggle when the players worked on ball control. However, the two coaches noted a lot of improvement in that area as the second day's camp took place.
"Yesterday, I saw that they were timid and maybe didn't ball control as well," said Thigpen. "Today, they stepped it up and there was more ball control; therefore, there was more offense, and that way I was able to see whose hitting has improved. I appreciated that they stepped up that part."
"In the summer, it's always one of those things when it comes to ball control," McRoberts agreed. "And it's because they're coming in and out of the gym, so I thought I definitely saw some improvements in that.
"Their defense is also really good. ... Their hustle on defense is going to be one of the biggest things because when you play team defense, you want to have your players who are willing to get out there."
Thigpen said that her setters controlled the ball much better on Friday while stepping up offensively and creating more opportunities for a hit.
"The setters were more consistent today and helped a lot," she noted. "Their hands haven't been setting, so they came in today and got their rhythm back."
McRoberts said that being able to have another coach with a different set of eyes in the gym is what he wanted to be able to bring to the camp.
"I worked for coach Thigpen quite a long time ago, and I learned a lot from her," he added. "I would think the same thing if she came into my gym and started saying, 'Hey, I see this, and I see that,' and they would probably be things that I wouldn't have seen.
"We see things differently, and every body does. I think one of the biggest things is just having a coach in the gym running drills and saying little things here and there like, 'I saw this, or I think this player would be good here or there.'"
While splitting up the players by position, the majority of drills that the coaches ran with the girls consisted of a number of serve-receive drills, individual passing drills, team ball control and team serve-receive competition drills.
"I think that he is just such a good coach and a good friend," said Thigpen. "I appreciate that he can look at the team and tell them in a positive way, 'This is what you need to do.'"
In the fall, the Rams' loaded roster will garner a slew of returning players that will include a crew of eight rising seniors.
"I'm really excited because I have eight seniors, and I feel like they know more what I want philosophy-wise," said Thigpen. "So, I feel like I can grow and do more things this next year rather than spend a lot of time on conditioning and skill development. Hopefully, I can step up and do more team-oriented things."
Sports on 06/15/2019