Coaching addition can help Lady Lancers

 David and Shelly Barnes are used to winning volleyball.
                If the LCC coaches have it their way, the Lancers’ 6-19 record last year will be the last of its type.
                Head coach Shelly Barnes entered her first year with the college last season only having seven players on the roster. She couldn’t recruit at the time and didn’t have an assistant coach.
                Things have changed this season.
                “Definitely, we’re going to be stronger,” Barnes said. “Last year, it was rough. I was by myself, (and) we had a small team. The team was already set when I was hired, so I wasn’t able to recruit. We had a chance to recruit, we brought in more players and they’re coming from pretty good programs.”
                Only two Lady Lancers will return for LCC this season, with the other nine players being incoming freshmen. The other addition includes Barnes’ husband David, who coached a winning Scotland High School program 11 seasons.
                David Barnes, who will be an assistant this year, said Scotland went 250-25 and won eight championships back-to-back during his 11-year tenure. Last season, Scotland finished 23-1 overall and went undefeated in its Southeastern 4A conference.
                “We’ve been at three high schools, and all three high schools had a dominating volleyball presence,” David Barnes said of him and his wife, who was his assistant coach at Scotland. “We’re going to do the same thing here as we’ve done all those other places. We’re going to outwork the other teams and we’re going to out-strategize them.”
                He added the pair will do what they’ve done 20 years: win volleyball.
                The Barnes’ will look to the two key returners, Britney O’ Hara and Elaina Price, to guide the young LCC team to a better season. Since the coaching change, the two seasoned Lady Lancers noticed an improvement in the program.            
                “It’s very disciplined and very orderly,” said outside hitter O’Hara. “When we get it done, we have to get it done right.”
                She said the coaches are the team’s biggest strength going into the 2013 season with a team dominated by first-year girls.
                “The pressure is on us to be the leaders because there are only two of us,” O’Hara said of herself and Price. “I want to make sure I know I do the best that I can. (The team) gelled really well, which makes it a lot easier to play together. There’s a lot of talent here.”
                Shelly Barnes said there wasn’t a top recruit in the class, but setter Brianna Harris has an edge because she came from the Scotland program
“That’s a good recruit for us because she already knows what we teach,” Barnes said. “That’s nice because your setter is like your quarterback or your pitcher… I think Bri brings a lot to the table, but we had a lot of great recruits.”
                LCC will have a tall front row this season, especially with a pair of 5-foot-11 middle blockers. The Lady Lancers will have a base 5-1 formation with a rotational defense. Because they have two setters this year, they will also have the option to run a 6-2.
                Barnes said competition should expect to see a variety of hits and each hitter running different routes in LCC’s strategic style of play.
                “We’re asking a lot of the girls,” Barnes said. “We’re asking them to play harder and think more than they’ve ever been used to. We’re very young, so we’re asking them to rise to the challenge very quickly and to come in and challenge the top teams.”
                Only posting six wins last season, the Lady Lancers will use every game as an opportunity to improve their record in LCC’s Region 10 division. Catawba Valley Community College won the division last year; LCC will play Catawba in Hickory on Aug. 31.
                They open the season Saturday against Johnson-Wales University and Surry Community College Saturday at home.
                “I think for long time, people didn’t take us real serious – and I think they’re going to start,” Barnes said. “Here, definitely we want to change the image of Lenoir (Community College) volleyball, and I think we’re on the right road. I think we’re going to hurt a lot of people’s feelings this year, and we’re excited about that.”
                 
Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252-559-1078 and Jessika.Morgan@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan. excited about that.”