A Foothills Composite volleyball coach has made a switch.
Corey Cowper has led the Falcons varsity boys volleyball team to six Foothills Athletic Council (FAC) wins since 2010. This season Cowper has made an assist to Megan Skory, who will take over coaching duties for the senior boys.
“I know they are in good hands,” he said.
This year Cowper will be looking to keep the Comp’s winning streak going, but for the varsity girls. The Falcons are coming off two years at the top of the FAC and Cowper said the goal this season is to grow as a team and as players.
“We are working on continuing individual development and working towards team development and our ultimate goal is to make provincials and do better then we do at provincials historically,” he said.
Cowper made the jump from coaching the senior boys to the girls for a number of reasons, he said.
With three girls heading to high school over the coming years it’s one of the few ways the busy teacher and coach can see them play, he said, adding when he looks at retirement from teaching in the future, there is a much higher demand for women’s volleyball coaches.
His daughter Tiana will be one of four Grade 10s on the varsity team this year.
“We have four rookie Grade 10 kids coming out of division one clubs,” Cowper said. “They are the top 16 clubs in their age category so they are coming with a lot of skill.”
He adds that of the Falcons girls13 players there are 12 girls who play on division one or two club teams and five are returning Grade 12 senior players, including outside hitters Jessa Meyer, Maddi Lyons and Annalise Curtis as well as middle blockers Chayle Clark and Denver Van Der Kooi.
“We have a strong foundational core,” he said.
The Falcon senior girls played their first 4A tournament Sept. 10 at the University of Calgary and placed eighth out of 32 teams.
“It gives us the chance to play at the 4A level to see the competition,” said Cowper, adding the Falcons were able to keep the games close.
“We always lost at the third game by two points,” he said. “They worked together and supported each other. We need to work on our system play offensively and defensively, but I’m really happy with their fight.
“They never gave up on any match.”
They will be returning to the University of Calgary again for a 4A tournament that will pit them against other Alberta 4A teams.
This year Cowper will get the chance to size up the competition during league play as well.
The Holy Trinity Knights have moved into 4A from 3A this year and could challenge the Falcons at zones this year.
In past years a 3A team would have to challenge the 4A FAC winner at zones for a provincial berth. Cowper said this year the girls are going to have to earn their way into provincials and games against their crosstown rivals are going to be even more intense.
“Now our games are going to become more meaningful,” he said. “I’ll be paying attention to what they are doing. We will have to play against them in zones so the landscape has changed a bit.”
HTA senior girls coach Crystal Anderson said as a newly minted 4A team the Knights are working harder to keep on par with bigger schools.
“We are taking practice time more seriously,” Anderson said. “We are having more intensive practices.”
The Knights senior girls have four returning players being led by setter and captain Dora Komlodi.
They are playing in this weekend’s tournament at the University of Calgary, Anderson said, and it will be a good test to see how they stand up.
The Knights don’t face off against the Falcons until the end of the season in early November.
“We are excited to play them,” she said. “We are a team that progresses. Even in our last game we got significantly better as the game progressed. By the time we play them we will be ready.”
In league play the Composite downed Notre Dame Collegiate 3-0 Sept. 14 and plays Highwood High School tonight, Sept. 21. Holy Trinity Academy (HTA) took 3 matches to defeat Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School Spartans on Sept. 14 and play Notre Dame Collegiate tonight. The Oilfields Drillers were downed by Highwood 3-1 in their opener on Sept. 14 and will host County Central High School tonight.
For more information on league play go to fac.teampages.com
