MONTGOMERY — As Lake Creek’s volleyball team looks to build off a program-best 32-win 2022 season that finished in the state semifinals, the dawn of a new era looms.
In is Sheila Daniels as head coach. Gone is Taryn Jordan, who led the Lions to 64 wins over the last two seasons before stepping down this summer to spend more time with her family.
Monday marked the first official step under Daniels’ stewardship. Lake Creek had its first day of tryouts, which will run through Wednesday. The start of varsity practices is Thursday.
“Coming in with any new team is challenging, for anyone,” said Daniels, who spent the last five years working in Montgomery ISD administration after three years as head coach at Montgomery High. “The expectations are high, from the kids to the parents to the fans. But that’s what makes it fun, to try to come in and do better than last year. I think there’s a lot of room to grow.”
The returns on the new leader have been glowing.
“She was a really good head coach,” junior libero/defensive specialist Kennedy Schramm said. “She’s pushing us hard. She’s going to make us a better team. She may change a little bit but we’re still going to be the same team that works hard.”
Daniels is going into her 13th year of coaching volleyball. She most recently coached at Montgomery and was a varsity assistant at Magnolia.
“I missed the kids,” she said. “I missed the gym. This is my home. This is where I’m the happiest and feel I can make the most impact on young girls’ lives.”
With Daniels arrives a fresh start.
The Lions’ offense will be quicker, with more tandems and hitters crossing. Daniels is undecided whether the defense will be rotational or positional, either a 5-1 or 6-2. But it will be adaptable and flexible to counter attacks.
Daniels said she did not watch game film from last year. When asked how many returners she had, she initially said she had no idea before guesstimating eight.
Daniels elected not to watch film or pore over stats and reports so that she would have an original, objective evaluation of players once tryouts and practices started.
“I feel like it gives us more confidence because it gives us a clean slate,” senior defensive specialist/outside hitter Sarah Caminita said. “I think we can work better as a team in that the coach doesn’t know us. She doesn’t know what happened last year or who was what. We can start fresh and she can help us be better.”
Daniels has already made an impact. She introduced different footwork in serve-receive. She has implemented a split stance on defense to get to tips easier.
“She really knows what she’s doing,” Caminita said. “She’s taught us new stuff we haven’t really done before. She’s just very wise.”
The Lions will have a different look in personnel, not just fundamentals and schemes.
Lake Creek graduated seven seniors from last year. It has a strong junior class in Schramm, and outside hitters Emerson Caltabiano and Peyton McKee.
The vast majority of the statistical production has graduated, most notably leading attacker and blocker Peyton Woods, defensive specialist Lauren Vickery and setter Lauren Greene.
All that means, Daniels said, is players that did not get their opportunities last year will get their shot this year.
“Everybody’s on the same plane and everybody’s starting from the beginning,” Daniels said. “A new coach, a new system. No one knows what to expect. But it’s going well. The girls are excited.”
Expectations, however, have not dimmed. If anything, they’re as high as ever.
“It’s the same thing. Same goal,” Schramm said. “One game at a time. We want to win district. We want to make a long run in the playoffs.
“We know people want to beat us. So, we know we have to work extra hard and do the little things. Just put our head down and grind.”
