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StumbleuponTougher is better for Alter girls volleyball
Friday, August 29, 2008
KETTERING — Big games in the regular season have kept the Alter High School volleyball team focused on its postseason goals.
The Knights opened the season Monday, Aug. 25, at Tippecanoe, a state semifinalist last year and No. 2 in the final Division II state volleyball poll. Alter played defending D-I state champion Cincinnati Mother of Mercy on Wednesday.
Alter also will play Ursuline Academy, No. 5 in the final D-I poll in 2007, and defending D-III state champion Lima Central Catholic.
"I guess we figure the tougher the teams we play, the better we are going to be," Alter coach Tina Jasinowski said.
Alter began toughening its schedule nine years ago when it entered the Girls Greater Cincinnati League. After an 0-11 record its first year, the program upgraded its nonleague games.
"If you would have asked me then, having a tougher schedule wasn't a good thing," Jasinowski said. "But in hindsight, it forced us to raise our level of play."
As the team gradually improved, Alter began adding more state heavyweights to its schedule. Jasinowski said Alter has played powerhouse Mother of Mercy the first week of the season for several years.
"We have a fairly strong team with high goals, and that helps us get right into it," Jasinowski said.
This year, Alter added Tipp. The two teams met in the playoffs in 2007, with Tippecanoe winning and eventually making it to the state semifinals, where it was eliminated by Columbus Bishop Hartley.
"Some of the matches we played then we dropped because we moved forward," Jasinowski said. "We wanted a greater challenge. Once we got acclimated, we continued to build a stronger schedule."
The Alter program has gradually become a state power, winning D-II titles in 2002, '03 and '06. Jasinowski said being prepared by a tough regular season was a key factor.
"I think increasing our competitiveness certainly helped us become one of the best programs in the state," Jasinowski said.
"We continue to keep a nice strong schedule so it can better the team. More often than not, it has paid off."
