Beatty spikers off to a good start

The Beatty girls volleyball team started the year off right with a non-conference win against Trona, California. The team hopes to start where they left off last year and continue in their winning ways. Such ways concluded with the team going to the state playoffs last year and that's where new coach Steve Sullivan hopes to be at the end of this year.

Trona won the first set 20-25, but the Hornets bounced back to take the next three, 25-8, 25-12, 25-11.

The Hornets coach said his girls had a bad case of the "first game jitters."

"In the first set we made a lot of errors," the coach said. "It seemed like they earned every point in the first set whether it was for us or for Trona."

Sullivan actually felt losing the first set was good for the team.

"It taught the girls what happens when hard work beats talent and it allowed me to see the weaknesses in our offense and defense," Sullivan said.

The Beatty coach explained that non-conference games allow him to see where his girls are having problems.

"There are issues that need to be addressed and adjustments that need to be made during certain rotations," he said. "As a team we had 13 service errors and 13 aces, which I don't like to see." He added that his main hitters need to be "more aggressive and more consistent."

The girls will be up in Tonopah for the Harvey Gonzalez Memorial Tournament, which starts at 8 a.m. on Saturday.

Stats: Claudia Granados, 3 kills, Vanessa Gamboa 3 kills, Anel Gamboa 3 kills, Ari Oseguera 2 kills and Maggie Cathcart 2 kills.