Lady 'Dogs open season with rout

Eric Spruill
The Edmond Sun

August 19, 2008 09:41 pm

— Entering Tuesday night many in the volleyball world believed the three Edmond schools were the top teams in the state. However, after its performance against Putnam City West you can scratch Memorial head coach Edgar Miraku off that list of believers.
“If you would have asked me last night, I would have said that. But after tonight, I think its been narrowed down to two teams — North and Santa Fe,” Miraku said. “After watching this I can say this is clearly a rebuilding year for us.”
Memorial’s performance wasn’t as bleak as Miraku wants you to believe, as the Lady ‘Dogs took the match 25-13, 25-17, 25-12. In fact, it should be noted that senior Sarah Horn and sophomore Micha Hancock— both key returners off last year’s state championship team — spent several minutes on the bench, while Miraku looked to give some of the younger players experience. In all, six sophomores saw significant playing time.
“The way I look at it, it was just the season opener. At this point in the season I’m not concerned with getting wins,” Miraku said. “I want the team to gradually get better, you don’t want to play your best early in the season, you want to peak in October.”
Miraku will learn more about his team this weekend when the Lady ‘Dogs play in the Union Tournament.
“I will learn a little more. Traditionally we don’t play well in this tournament, but that’s the way we’re set up. You don’t want to play your best this early,” the head coach said.