V-ball scrimmages begin this week
Lady Cats return 4 starters

Coming off a bi-district championship, the Whitehouse Lady Cats are ready for some court time to evaluate hopefuls for the 07-08 varsity squad.

Under head coach Cheryl Till, the team will travel to Van Friday and Hallsville Saturday for scrimmages, before hosting their first game on Aug. 14 against Carthage. The home game begins at 7 p.m., with the Van scrimmage at 9 a.m. and Hallsville scrimmage at 9:30 a.m.

"Scrimmages let you take a look at your players in game situations and see what combinations are working," said Till, a veteran coach with 28 years experience, including 11 at Whitehouse. "You also develop more team chemistry and find out your strengths and weaknesses."

Despite the loss of several seniors, including district and East Texas MVP Brittani Toole, Till returns four starters and has a talented crew of sophomores and freshmen to work with.

"Our freshman team went 27- 0 last year," she said. "I feel confident about this year and the kids who played well on the lower level as freshmen and sophomores. It's time for them to step up and play at the varsity level."

The team will be led by a strong core of returning lettermen, said Till. Junior Christine Ford leads the squad in heighth at 5'11", though Till said the team as a whole as worked hard on improving vertical jump.

"We traditionally play with a lot of heart, the girls have great character," said Till. "What we lack in height we make up for in our defensive ability, passing and quickness."