By Matt Browning
With four key pieces back this season, Central Burden volleyball coach Julie Konrade is optimistic that it will be a more successful season than 2024.
“I expect us to be more competitive than last year,” Konrade said. “I expect us to have more wins than last season.”
The Raiders were young last season and those four returning players (Gracelea Weigle, Jessilyn Parsons, Laken Eastman and Lena McGee) have matured in their games, which should translate to fewer mistakes on the court.
“We should be able to attack more and send less freeballs,” Konrade said. “We have worked on our out of system offense and back row attack.”
There are specific goals for the postseason that Konrade and the Raiders hope to accomplish.
“We have a goal not to have to play in the play-in matches on October 9,” Konrade said. “And we would really like to be playing in substate. The players have put in some work in the off season playing club volleyball and attending camps to help strengthen our level of play.”
While the South Central Border League provides a fair share of challenges, Konrade is still hoping she can see progress in her program.
“I have a few boxes that I would like to check off,” Konrade said. “One would be to have more wins than last year. Finish in the top half in the league based on league record and play in sub-state.”
