Cougars, conditioning and conversation

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Kennedy High School gymnasium was well-lit but eerily silent as volleyball practice began at the strike of 9 o'clock Monday morning.

The only evidence of human life was a row of about 30 gym bags strewn against the north wall.

If you listened close, though, you could follow a trail of music down the far stairs, which reached a crescendo at the weight room.

Day 1 was about two things, according to Coach Michelle Goodall: 'Conditioning and conversation.”

The 2015-16 high school sports year jumped into gear Monday in Iowa. Volleyball, football, cross country and girls' swimming got cranking statewide. Optimism abounds everywhere, and Kennedy is no exception.

'We've been really close,” senior Macy Anderson said, alluding to the Cougars' regional-final losses in each of the last three seasons. 'This is our last go-round, and we're going to make it happen.”

A recruit of the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Anderson is one of three Division-I volleyball commitments at Kennedy. Honorable-mention all-state setter Anna Fluent chose Loyola University of Chicago; Brinley Milbrath picked Northern Illinois University.

'It's good, we don't have to worry about who's watching us,” said Milbrath, a 6-foot-3 outside hitter. 'We know where we're going, and we can just play.”

Another senior, Tianna Drahn, is expected to choose a D-I softball school soon.

So there's talent there. There's experience. And there's more.

'They have a chip, an edge,” Goodall said. 'These seniors are annoyed (a state-tournament appearance) hasn't happened for them yet. Maybe that's a good thing. It will keep them motivated.”

After their weight-room session Monday, the Cougars entered the gym and began a stretching regimen. The request of a player - 'Can we turn on our warm-up CD?” - was granted, and they began 2-on-2 and 3-on-3 drills.

'I like small-court drills. It gives them lots of touches, and trains their brains,” Goodall said.

Kennedy has more than 110 girls out for volleyball in grades 9-12. Kids gravitate toward winning programs, and Kennedy has one. The Cougars reached the state semifinals in four straight years (2008-11), then have fallen one step short of state the last three.

The Cougars were 28-12 last year, finishing second to Iowa City High in the Mississippi Valley Conference tournament. West Des Moines Dowling stopped them in the regional final.

'The goal is to make it - and compete,” said Fluent, who, like Milbrath, has been a varsity contributor since her freshman year.

A favorable regional draw wouldn't hurt. To earn that, Anderson said, 'we definitely need to have a better record early in the season.”

This program has a no-cut policy. Those 110 players will be placed onto (at least) one of eight teams, varsity, JV, one of two sophomore teams or one of four freshman squads.

That was one point of a long list of subjects Goodall planned to address Monday.

'We'll go over a lot,” she said. 'We'll go through the handbook. We'll talk about rules and goals. I have high goals.”

The Cougars open Aug. 27 at the MVC-MAC Challenge at Cedar Rapids Prairie.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com