Last fall, Farmington won its first Section 1 volleyball title and went on to finish sixth at the Class AAA state tournament.
Now the big question for coach Mike Woody and his 2010 squad is a tough one. What can you do for an encore?
Woody isn't predicting any section repeat or the program's first Missota Conference championship but he feels that by the time tournament time rolls around, the Tigers will be up to the challenge.
"The keys for us are to be patient, get better every day and make it tough at the net," he said.
"In my opinion we are starting the best combination of middle hitters in the state in Katie Habeck and Jordan Bridges, but we are going to have to endure some growing pains early as the rest of the group improves and catches up with the speed of the game at the varsity level."
Habeck, who landed a spot on the all-state tournament team after leading the state in blocks during the regular season, and Bridges both stand 6-2 and should create nightmares for the opposition at the net. But the only other returnees with varsity level experience are senior hitters Amanda Mohr and Ashley Vannoy.
While Woody is optimistic about his team's play in the middle, he is more than a little concerned about how he will replicate the passing skills of last year's senior class.
"It's hard to replace players like Danielle Dombeck, Alexia Rains, Rachel Sand and Liz Pappenfus," he said.
Woody hopes to crack the upper division of the tough Missota Conference again where defending state champion Shakopee and league newcomer Chaska figure to lead the pack. As for the section race, the Tiger coach ranked Northfield, Owatonna, Rochester Mayo and "..hopefully, Farmington" as the top four candidates for a trip to the state tourney.
Kelli Arne will handle the junior varsity coaching duties this fall with Jon Ostgaard returning as B-squad coach. Troy Hedke and Kirsten Zeise will share the ninth grade coaching chores.
The Tigers open the 2010 campaign, Friday, August 27, with a road contest at Hastings.
