Shipman wraps up first season as Mules Volleyball coach

Being a first-year coach entails a wide range of emotions, especially in a new sport.

Poplar Bluff High School’s new volleyball coach stepped into unfamiliar territory this season with hopes of laying a foundation for many seasons to come.

Twin Rivers graduate Summer Shipman recently wrapped up her first season as the Lady Mules’ head volleyball coach, and with little to no experience with coaching the sport, Shipman took the challenge head-on.

With a brief background in coaching softball, Shipman said it’s been an adjustment coaching an entirely new sport, but it’s been fun.

“I felt my first season as a volleyball coach went pretty well,” Shipman said. “I wanted to be very prepared coming in, so I did a lot of research on teams, watched a lot of game footage and spent a lot of time learning different drills for the girls. I feel that our record was as good as it’s been in recent years, but overall, it was a pretty good season.

“I feel like I overcame quite a few obstacles because I did not know the sport. Making it through the season has made me stronger, and I can definitely see my growth as a coach overall. You’re never too old to learn new things, and this experience has been great.”

Stepping into the role was completely different, but Shipman loves a good challenge. Though it would be a learning experience throughout the season, Shipman was confident she could improve the program with her competitive nature and hard-working attitude.

Shipman said her initial goal was to build the Lady Mules’ confidence. She wanted them to forget about the previous season and look ahead to the future. The Lady Mules finished 9-18-3 on the season, a few wins more than

last season.

Chloe Cambron, Izzy Berry and Morgan Cisne were selected as second-team All-District, while Kyra Mizell, Ireland Gowen and Bailey Henson made All-District honorable mention.

The Poplar Bluff Lady Mules volleyball team finished 9-18-3 on the season and had three members make the All-District team.DAR/D'Courtland Christian

“I felt great to have some players on the All-District team,” she said. “I believe their stats spoke for themselves. I had several players that were right up there with the many great girls in the area. It feels nice to have this happen during my first season. They worked hard, and they definitely deserve it. Overall, I’m just really proud of them.”

Despite having an up-and-down season, Shipman felt the Lady Mules held their own against several competitive teams. From the first game to the last one, the Lady Mules showed solid growth and were more consistent with their serve received, which was a struggle for them initially. With a competitive schedule, Shipman said the Lady Mules kept up with their opponents and competed hard every game.

With the first year out the way, Shipman said next year will be about building and improving all around.

“I definitely know what I need to work on to be a better coach, and that’s being more knowledgeable about the sport,” Shipman said. “I’m already looking into team camps this summer, so I’m excited about that. This offseason, we’ll focus on returning to the basics of working on our hitting and blocking while continuing to work on our serve receive.

Having that first year under my belt, I have a better understanding of the strategy behind volleyball and what it will take for us to be finishers. We’re definitely competitors, but we did not finish a lot of the games that we needed to finish this season. We will do a lot of stuff this summer that will make us jump faster and speed up our reflexes, so I’m definitely ready for next year.