Lady Dragons prepare to visit Aloha State

No one is going to feel sorry for Southlake Carroll volleyball’s travel schedule starting Aug. 9.

When the Lady Dragons finish playing Richardson Pearce in the Aug. 8 season opener, they have to get on a plane and travel all the way to … drum roll … Hawaii.

Carroll, which began preseason workouts on Monday, is changing its non-district schedule. Instead of starting with the traditional trip to Pearland for the 2016 Adidas Texas Volleyball Invitational, the program is headed to the Ann Kang Invitational, Aug. 11-13 in Honolulu.

“I thought it was time for a change,” Carroll coach Ryan Mitchell said. “We’ve played the same schedule for years and played a lot of the same teams. The difference in doing this is that we have a lot of seniors – nine – so they can handle it.

“I was looking for something competitive but also provide an experience. They’re going to have some fun. But they want to win it, too.”

The volleyball program is the second to play in a tournament in the 50th state. Teri Morrison’s girls basketball program played in a Christmas Holiday Tournament in 2014.

Mitchell started looking at other preseason options shortly after the 2015 season finished. He reviewed tournaments in California, Florida and Kentucky. But the advantage the Kang Invitational offered over the others was the timing. It was during the first week of the season, while the others were deeper into August. The program used a variety of fundraisers to pay for the trip. The district is not picking up any of the costs.

This tournament can be played so Carroll’s August tournament travel schedule – Carroll is also playing in the Northwest ISD Invitational and Plano tournament – won’t be negatively impacted. The Kang Invitational allows Carroll to return on Aug. 14 and have enough recuperation time.

Most of the field is comprised of teams from California and Hawaii. But Carroll won’t be the only Texas team competing. Saginaw Boswell is also playing in it.

Mitchell said Carroll was selected on what tournament organizers told him was a point system. However, there was a little blind faith. After all, not many teams outside of Texas may know how good Carroll is or isn’t. The record and playoff history have to suffice.

There are some differences between the style of volleyball played on the West Coast and in Texas. While the Texas game relies a little more on power, the West Coast offers a little more ball control.

“Those teams will serve aggressively and play to a level where they don’t make mistakes,” Mitchell said. “They’re going to look to at taking advantage of your mistakes. The fact that a lot of those teams play some beach plays a part of their style. Their touch on the ball is pretty good, and they don’t have as many unforced errors. Nothing hits the floor. But the best thing we can ask is what can we learn from this.”

This once-in-a-lifetime experience won’t be all volleyball and no enjoyment of paradise. The team will enjoy a luau on the first night and then take a tour of Pearl Harbor and visit the U.S.S Arizona Memorial on the second. Players will also get time on the beach.

“We’re really excited to be going out there,” Carroll junior middle blocker Asjia O’Neal said. “But we expect to bring home first place.”

This story was originally published August 3, 2016 at 2:51 PM with the headline "Lady Dragons prepare to visit Aloha State."