CORBIN —
By Les Dixon / Sports Editor
CORBIN — Liberty Roberts’ first year as the Corbin Lady Redhound volleyball coach was a smashing success and she’s hoping her second year is even better.
The Lady Redhounds are coming off a 21-17 season that saw them capture both the 50th District and 13th Region Tournaments while advancing to the Volleyball Sweet Sixteen.
“I really feel confident with this team,” Roberts said. “I really like what I have seen during our stay at the University of Kentucky camp. The girls have really gotten cleaner in terms of technique.”
After starting the season 4-6, Corbin caught fire last season and went 17-11 the remainder of the season, which included winning nine of 10 games during late in the season.
Roberts believes the success should carry over into this season.
“I believe it will,” she said. “We had a conversation the other day about the past being the past and we need to be proud of what we have accomplished, but now we need to focus on what we need to continue to do to get better in the future.
“The girls and I want to take it a step further,” Roberts added. “I’m excited about them not being satisfied just making it to the state tournament.”
One of the big reasons many are considering the Lady Redhounds as the team to beat is because of the return of senior Vanessa Wiseman, who earned 13th Region Player of the Year honors last season.
“It’s great to have her returning,” Roberts admitted. “We’re definitely going to use her returning to our advantage. Vanessa is a really skilled player and this being her senior year, I want her to be more aggressive and refine some of her passing skills.”
Corbin lost three players last season and return only two seniors to the mix this season, but the lack of seniors doesn’t seem to concern Roberts.
“We only had two seniors last season, too,” she said. “We do have six juniors and four of those right now are going to see some varsity time. We are going to rely on them a lot.
“We’ve also got some sophomore players (Allison Worthy and Chelsie Brock) that will contribute, too,” Roberts added. “We have a lot of potential.”
Roberts admitted her team has a chance to make another run at the 13th Region championship, but admitted it won’t be easy.
“I have a lot of respect for South Laurel and they are always competitive and Whitley County is very good, too,” she said. “I don’t know much about North Laurel this season, though. The girls’ goal is to take the next step and not just return to the state tournament, but make it past the Sweet Sixteen and that’s a great goal to have.”
Local Sports
Not satisfied
Corbin Lady Redhounds look to improve on last season's success
- Local Sports
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Jumpers stun North
Both North Laurel and Somerset struggled at the plate for six innings, but that didn’t mean the two teams weren’t going to provide some fireworks during the game’s final inning of play Thursday.
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On the move
Mother Nature played a big role during the opening day of the Boys and Girls State Tennis Tournaments. She caused just enough havoc to put a major dent into Thursday’s first and second round schedules.
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Lady Colonels drop 12-9 decision at home to Clay County
The Whitley County Lady Colonels found themselves in a slugfest for most of the night against Clay County Thursday.
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Colonels win big
Hollywood couldn’t have scripted the way Whitley County senior Alex Rose’s final start of the season went down Thursday.
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Carson comes big against Bears
Senior Night turned out to be a great day for North Laurel’s lone senior Marcus Carson.
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Lady Redhounds fall on the road, 10-0
The Corbin Lady Redhounds went into Thursday’s game against Middlesboro riding a five-game win streak and winners of seven of the past nine. The streak didn’t last though, as the Lady Yellow Jackets outplayed Corbin to a tune of 10-0 in five innings.
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SPORTS HEADLINES - MAY 17, 2013
Jumpers stun North
On the move
Local players advance in boys & girls state tennis action
Lady Colonels drop 12-9 decision at home to Clay County
Colonels win big
Carson comes big against Bears
Lady Redhounds fall on the road, 10-0
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Corbin falls short
The Corbin Lady Redhounds’ quest for a state championship came to an end Wednesday at the University of Kentucky’s Boone Tennis Center after dropping a 3-0 decision to Sacred Heart in Final Four action.
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No slowing down
Those who know outgoing Corbin High School freshman Alex “Dub” Smith will tell you that, despite being born with a disability, he's your average run-of-the-mill American teenager.
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Fear 'Les' 13th Region Diamond Rankings
It’s been very difficult for me the past couple of weeks to decide on who is the top rated team in the 13th Region.
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