CHALLENGE ACCEPTED: Shipman named Mules volleyball coach

The Poplar Bluff High School Lady Mules Volleyball team will have new leadership for the upcoming season.

Summer Shipman will take on her new role as the head girls volleyball coach. With some years of coaching experience, Shipman will take on her greatest challenge yet of coaching volleyball for the first time.

“I'm really excited about this opportunity,” Shipman said. “I've been around volleyball my entire life, and I'm just really excited to start. It's been really fun, and we’ve been working hard to prepare for our first match.”

The Lady Mules' first couple of practices focused on increasing the team’s speed and agility while building muscle with some reps in the weight room. As the Lady Mules prepare for their first game, Shipman has found different strategies to help with their lack of depth in height but ensures the team will be competitive.

Shipman is a Twin Rivers native but has lived in Poplar Bluff for almost 20 years. She recently worked as a P.E. teacher and coached softball for Neelyville High School, but this will be her first time coaching for PB.

Though this is her first time coaching volleyball, Shipman said her competitive nature prompted her to take on the new position as head coach.

“Stepping into this role is completely different, but I love a good challenge,” she said. “I'm really competitive, and I feel like you have to work harder no matter what you do, so this won’t be any different. There’s always been a connection between me and volleyball, but I was naturally better at softball, so I’m excited to get my chance to be involved with the sport.”

Shipman said it’d been an adjustment coaching an entirely new sport, but it’s been fun. She’s been doing her homework by learning as much as possible to have the team ready, such as watching films and reading to learn the ins and outs of volleyball.

As the Lady Mules prepared for the Campbell High School Volleyball Jamboree, seniors Isabelle Berry and Chloe Cambron got in some reps during volleyball practice.DAR/D�Courtland Christian

Stepping into a completely different territory to coach a new sport can be intimidating to some, but for Shipman, her coaching philosophy will remain the same.

“I’ve coached before, so the way I approach any sport will be just the same,” Shipman said. “.It's very important to have respect, and having the right attitude goes a long way for me. All I ask for is effort when you step onto the court and just give it your all. Whether it’s running drills or scrimmaging, you're here to be a better person and then a better athlete.”

Expectations for Shipman won’t be high for Shipman as she looks to get the first year of coaching volleyball under her belt, but she does have some for herself and the team.

“My initial goal is to build our team’s confidence,” Shipman said. “I want the girls on the team to forget about how everything went the previous season and look ahead. I know their record wasn't very great last year, but I feel like if we could have a winning record or close to one, that would be considered a good year.”

The Lady Mules volleyball team will get their first opportunity to test their skills during Campbell High School’s Volleyball Jamboree on Wednesday at 5 p.m.