Coaches question wisdom of playing three tournaments

It’s tough to change traditions.

But the more something occurs in the same format, the more discussions arise as to whether can it be done differently. The high school volleyball season begins its third week with another round of tournaments scheduled for the weekend.

Carroll, Grapevine and Colleyville Heritage are headed to the PSA tournament Friday and Saturday in Plano. Carroll (16-4) finished fifth at the NISD VB Invitational. Grapevine (13-5) placed sixth. Colleyville Heritage (11-5) played in the Silver Championship bracket.

While this will be the final week of what you could call the August gauntlet, coaches are starting to wonder how much of a good thing it is to play tournaments through these opening weeks.

“I’m hearing more conversations of what we can do to change [the first three weeks],” Carroll coach Ryan Mitchell said. “The way it’s set up, it can put a lot of pressure on kids’ bodies. It’s a physical toll when you’re playing eight to nine games each weekend.”

Currently, the University Interscholastic League permits programs to play three tournaments. Naturally, coaches will seize the opportunity because it means more matches and time on the court together. The more games, the better.

But mix in the fact that players are still involved with their club teams on weekends, and everything adds up. Bodies weaken. The chances for potential injuries increase.

Unlike the Adidas Texas Volleyball Invitational in Pearland and the NISD VB Classic in Justin, which are played Thursday-Saturday, the PSA is a Friday-Saturday format. That eases some of the strain. However, if the criticism mounts, something could change.

When Carroll was in Hawaii two weeks ago, Mitchell said he talked to coaches from Hawaii and California who told him they play two tournaments to start the season and then play that third tournament in the middle of the district season. It serves as a mental break.

Colleyville Heritage coach Bri Barker-Groth said discussions have also started about using that third weekend for a smaller event. Four or five teams would play each other in a round-robin format that could either played one or two days.

“There are a lot of variables in play on how you want to do this,” Barker-Groth said. “For us, we needed as much court time as possible, because we have eight sophomores on our team. Three straight weeks is a little much. But you’re hearing a lot of coaches potentially not doing three tournaments.”

Time will tell what the future holds for non-district schedules. But the momentum seems to building.

Notable

Carroll: Junior middle blocker Asjia O’Neal made the all-tournament team at the NISD VB Invitational … senior outside hitter Haley Hallgren is dealing with an abdominal injury and was limited to libero duty this past weekend. Mitchell called it a precautionary move and could have played Hallgren at outside hitter if it was the postseason. Hallgren was expected to remain at libero Tuesday at Grapevine … Carroll’s pool at the PSA Invitational in Plano includes Concordia Lutheran (out of Tomball), Plano and Frisco Liberty.

Colleyville Heritage: The highlight of the NISD VB Invitational was a sweep of Coppell. However, Barker-Groth said her teams needs to be more consistent with serving and passing … the Lady Panthers pool at the PSA tournament in Plano includes Flower Mound, San Antonio O’Connor and John Paul II … this team will keep the 6-2 alignment moving forward. Barker-Groth said Lauren Evans has to remain a part of this offense … the Lady Panthers played at Frisco Centennial on Tuesday.

Grapevine: Freshman middle blocker Savannah Kjolhede (ankle) is not expected back until after the Plano tournament at the earliest … senior middle blocker Haley Johnson (back) returned to the team and showed no problems as she played all weekend … sophomore right side Georgia Neill (ankle) is out. Head coach Whitney Woody promoted Ashley Demarrias from the junior varsity … Grapevine’s pool at the PSA tournament in Plano is Lucas Lovejoy, Austin Westlake and Frisco Independence.

This story was originally published August 24, 2016 at 2:11 PM with the headline "Coaches question wisdom of playing three tournaments."