(SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTOS BY AL STILLEY) Franklin Central expects to be vastly improved with seniors, from left, defensive specialist Vannah Vaughan, transfer Rachel Johnson, defensive specialist Dayton Thompson, rightside hitters Bella Tarter and Becca Hunley and middle hitter Emily Jarrell.
Franklin Central first-year coach Davin Testerman takes the helm for the Flashes with an experienced and gritty team. (18-14) – First-year Flashes coach Davin Testerman no stranger to players … in second year of teaching family and consumer science at FCHS … veteran volleyball official … graduated only one senior, Jenna Riley, 390 kills, 268 digs, 51 blocks … returns with 11 Flashes … 1-2 punch from deceptive junior setter Carly Sobieralski (902 assists of team’s 986 assists last year, 288 digs, 123 kills) and senior middle hitter Emily Jarrell (242 kills, 71 blocks) … coach calls Sobieralski the “brain of the offense” … up front, junior Carolyn Hibbard moves from middle to outside hitter, junior Kennedy Brinker from outside to middle, and senior Bella Tarter can handle right side and middle … Tarter’s sister, Liv, a freshman, gets a taste of varsity as libero or outside hitter … senior Becca Hunley, 114 kills, can hit from right or left side … Brooklyn Schiffli moves from libero to outside hitter … defensive specialists include Dayton Thompson (408 digs), senior Vannah Vaughan and junior Zoe Munger … Utah transfer Rachel Johnson shows solid ball control … primed for break-out season.
Coach’s comments: “We’re really fortunate to have a ton of returning players who are great kids who happen to be great athletes. They are tight-knit, and they support each other. They know we must spread out our offense because Jenna (Riley) had 60 percent of the sets. We have asked several of our players to switch positions, so they have had to retrain their timing, swings and mentality. We have been asking a lot from them and they have done it fluidly. I cannot say enough about their attitudes and abilities to work with us. This is a strong team of character and a lot of grit – that’s what we will need to push through to see our goals. We do want to speed up our offense because we have kids who are very quick. We shouldn’t ever see the ball touch the floor. I would like them to continue their scrappiness. We have been moving them around on defense. We are very fortunate because we can spread the ball across the net on offense. We have a lot of very good volleyball in our near future.”
Coach’s comments: “We’re really fortunate to have a ton of returning players who are great kids who happen to be great athletes. They are tight-knit, and they support each other. They know we must spread out our offense because Jenna (Riley) had 60 percent of the sets. We have asked several of our players to switch positions, so they have had to retrain their timing, swings and mentality. We have been asking a lot from them and they have done it fluidly. I cannot say enough about their attitudes and abilities to work with us. This is a strong team of character and a lot of grit – that’s what we will need to push through to see our goals. We do want to speed up our offense because we have kids who are very quick. We shouldn’t ever see the ball touch the floor. I would like them to continue their scrappiness. We have been moving them around on defense. We are very fortunate because we can spread the ball across the net on offense. We have a lot of very good volleyball in our near future.”
Franklin Central’s Flashes have experience and depth with middle hitter Kennedy Brinker, transfer Josie Newman, defensive specialists Brooklyn Schifflir, defensive specialist Zoe Munger, setter Carly Sobieralski and middle hitter Karissa Hite. Sobieralski accounted for 91.6 percent of the Flashes’ assists last year.
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