HUTCHINSON - SALT CITY SMASH! CHAOS! Officially known as Salt City Smash 12-4, the Chaos, as they nicknamed themselves, are a new up and coming club volleyball team. “We are awesome. They are like family. We are sisters. Playing with everyone.” Those are just a few of the comments from the girls who are coached by Peggy Schrag-Wolfe and assisted by Sheila Goscha. While most Smash teams have been together up to five years, the Smash 12-4 Chaos have come together for their first season as a competitive group. “This is a make shift team. This is the first year they have played together as a whole unit. We have girls from Buhler, Sterling and Holy Cross,” said Schrag-Wolfe. The team, who play in the 12U Division, is made up of 7 12-year olds and an 11-year old playing up. The Smash 12-4 Chaos practice on average 2-3 times a week. With 8 on the team and with 6 girls on the court at a time, this only leaves 2 for subs. Illness, poor travel conditions or other engagements can make having a fresh team hard, according to Schrag-Wolfe. “That’s when you have to work as a team. It’s been fun. Challenging but it’s fun.” The Smash 12-4 Chaos play in the Heart Of America League and Smash Volleyball is a subsidiary of USA Volleyball. All girls must be USA Volleyball certified to officiate. Coaches do R1 and scorekeeping. Players R2 position, scorekeeping and line judging so the girls understand the rules for High School. “Volleyball is becoming a huge, huge thing. Big time. And they are asking the girls to know it before they get into middle school. It’s competitive now,” Schrag-Wolfe said. | The team uses a libero, who can float in and out on the back line. They can never play the front line. “They have all really come together,” added Goscha. In their first tournament of the year, the Chaos tied for 3rd out of 9 teams at Pratt on Jan. 26th. According to Schrag-Wolfe, on an average tournament such as Pratt, they play at 8am, have a small break, officiate a match, play, play, and then another break and then officiate once more. “It’s a full day. Keeping these 12-year old brains focused from 8am to 6pm is tough. But our parents are awesome. They have stepped up to the plate. They help with practices, do things with the team. They just help out a lot.” The next weekend, Feb. 1, the ladies traveled to Clearwater to play against teams from Wichita, Valley Center, Clearwater, and Hutchinson. The Chaos captured 3rd place outright. “We played a Gold team, who is the elite of the elite, and we beat them in one set and only got beat by two points is all. You can’t expect anything better. I do of course, but I’m a coach,” Schrag-Wolfe laughed. The Smash 12-4 Chaos headed back to Pratt and the finished 2nd in a very close match. They won 8 sets in a row. "What an amazing set of girls I have this year. They were disappointed but what incredible volleys we had," said Schrag-Wolfe. On March 1, they will head to Sedgwick. Their season lasts through late March or the first of April. “We are looking to go to KU in late March. We want to play in the (Robinson) Fieldhouse. It would be really an awesome deal,” Schrag-Wolfe said. “The girls are always respectful. It’s been amazing to watch how they have grown. They really have developed so much more this year. It’s just been a lot of fun,” Schrag-Wolfe concluded. Story by Staff; Pictures by Joe Palacioz |
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