ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, September 5, 1996 TAG: 9609050115
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: N-14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KEITH POMPEY STAFF WRITER
Penny Williams could be sitting on a gold mine.
The second-year Cave Spring High School volleyball coach, formerly a longtime coach at Patrick Henry, has a great shot at winning the Roanoke Valley District title.
After switching schools, Williams finally feels acclimated with the Knights. Maybe that's because the former Virginia Tech standout returns a team with five Division I-caliber athletes.
``And we have a unique situation,'' Williams said. ``We have about eight to nine girls that could start. Our team unity right now is great. And they are working hard to maintain that team unity.
``Our girls are planning to go all the way to the regional final, if not the state final. We got a lot of high hopes, a lot of goals.''
Most of the Knights' success will depend on Lindsay Cannon, Jenny Lenker, Sarah Hopkins and Kim Morris. The foursome played a major role in Cave Spring's 13-3 (7-1 in the district) record last season.
Cannon was a first-team all-district selection at middle blocker last year. The 6-foot-3 junior had 70 kills, 13 aces, 19 blocks and a .340 kill ratio. Anything over .240 on the high school level is good.
``Lindsay is going to be a dynamic player with her height and her athletic ability,'' said Williams of Cannon, who also plays basketball. ``She is by far one of the best athletes in the school, if not this district.''
Meanwhile, co-captain Hopkins is the team's lone senior. The 17-year-old only played the back row last year. But the part-time player sizzled.
As the setter, Hopkins was compared to a quarterback on a football team. She led the team with 190 assists. She connected on 91 percent of her serves. And she had 25 aces.
``She is a great server,'' Cannon said. ``Her mental game is great. She doesn't yell at the team when we make mistakes. She is the one that makes the team what it is. Sarah is someone good to play with.''
Like Hopkins, the 6-1 Lenker also shined as a part-time player. The co-captain played mostly the front row, where she had a .300 kill ratio. And the junior connected on 92 percent of her serves.
``We are looking to get a lot out of Jenny this year,'' Williams said. ``With her height, she will be hard to stop.''
And the most underrated player on the team may be Morris.
Last year, the 5-8 junior earned honorable mention all-district honors. But she still seemed to go unnoticed in some preseason scouting reports. Maybe that's because she is more of a utility player, shining at various positions.
Last season, the outside hitter scored 142 points and connected on a team-high 95 percent of her serves.
So who's the best on the team?
``There isn't one,'' Lenker said. ``I'm the best at the position that I play. Lindsay's the best at the position that she plays. And Kim is the best at her position. We don't have any stars. We sacrifice individual honors for the team.''
Cannon agreed.
``We've got a lot of leaders,'' she said. ``We don't have one star. We have a lot of go-to players. We don't try to think about who is the best.''
One thing Cave Spring can't stop thinking about is last season.
Most of the time, the Knights seemed unbeatable. Like last Oct.17, when Cave Spring gave Group AAA state runner-up PH its first loss of the season.
Then there were times when the Knights let their frustrations get in the way. Like the district semifinal loss to Franklin County.
``During that match, we started blaming each other for our mistakes,'' Cannon said. ``I think that really hurt us. We didn't have any unity.''
But Lenker feels that disappointment made her and her teammates better players.
``I have been thinking about this season every day since the Franklin County loss,'' she said. ``I went to some camps and I played in the Junior Olympics [during the summer]. I'm definitely ready. It's going to be a fun year.''
The Knights' first test will be Saturday in the Albemarle Invitational in Charlottesville, where they'll likely meet the host Patriots. Then Cave Spring travels to Franklin County next Thursday.
Some think these early-season tests are a piece of cake.
``We got a powerhouse right now,'' Cannon said. ``Physically we are loaded. And we have the mental game to go deep in the playoffs.
``I have the confidence in myself and the confidence in my teammates that we are going to go far.''
LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ALAN SPEARMAN/Staff. Three reasons for Cave Spring'sby CNBoptimism this season are (left to right) Sarah Hopkins, Jenny Lenker
and Lindsay Cannon.