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Published: September 21, 2009 11:12 pm   

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: GI’s Hall makes an impression

GRAND ISLAND — Cuts are often the hardest task for high school coaches. Especially at the modified and JV levels where some players haven’t quite yet developed or found their niche.

Case in point, Grand Island senior Chelsea Hall.

She played a little soccer growing up, but always thought volleyball looked neat. At the encouragement of her mother, Susan, she decided to give the sport a try.

Admittedly behind most of the other girls skill-wise, Hall struggled during tryouts. But there was something that made her stick out like a sore thumb, according to varsity coach John Head.

“She would always do something to keep the ball in play,” he said.

So, JV coach Daneen Gallagher kept Hall as an alternate on his roster.

“I’m really thankful for that,” Hall said recently.

A few weeks into that season, Gallagher was saying the same thing. It looked like he had found a diamond in the rough — one that had really fallen for volleyball, too.

“I liked it so much that after the season I joined Niagara Frontier (Club),” Hall said. “That’s where I really started to gain confidence.”

By the next fall, Hall was a standout on the JV, so much so that she received a promotion to the varsity during the year. Mix in another year of club experience, this time at the regional level, and Head could see he had something special on his hands.

As a junior, Hall earned third team all-Niagara Frontier League honors, taking the torch as the Vikings’ top hitter. Now, Hall is considered one of the better outside hitters in the area as evidenced by her tournament MVP honors at the Wilson Tournament this past weekend.

Her leadership has also shined through this year, according to Head.

“The attribute that her teammates love is her positive attitude,” the coach said. “She truly loves the sport. She works her hardest and stays upbeat and as a result gets her teammates to do the same.”

The best news for Hall, though, is that there is certainly plenty of room to improve since she’s still relatively new to the sport. And listening and learning have never been a problem for Hall.

“I love ... her coachability,” Head said. “Chelsea really works to make adjustments to her technique so that she is always getting better. For example, her passing has continually improved and now she is one of our primary passers. She just wants to be the best she can be.”

That type of attitude will serve her well if she decides to continue her volleyball career at the next level. Hall, who is also a standout hurdler at GI, said she has been looking at local Division III volleyball programs recently.

For now, though, Hall is completely focused on helping the Vikings rack up the wins.

“We’ve got a young team, but we’re getting better day by day,” she said, while noting GI’s team championship at Wilson and runner-up finish at Cheektowaga.