Team Profile: Carlisle County leaning on experienced players

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Veteran head coach Whitney Puckett does not shy away from the next goals for the program that started in 2004.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Puckett just completed her sixth season as head coach after serving as an assistant in 2018. The Comets have won the 1st District crown four of those seasons. Carlisle County won it back from Hickman County last year after winning three straight from 2020 to 2022. That's where the next steps come into play. The Comets have not won a 1st Region Tournament game nor have they won the in-season All "A" 1st Region Tournament in school history.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The good news is the Comets return a good amount of players from last year's 17-20 overall that knows what to expect from one another. They lost 3-1 to Murray (25-18, 25-11, 11-25, 25-17) in the region quarterfinals. The four main returning players are sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='535258' first='Brooklyn' last='Dunn'], [player_tooltip player_id='535256' first='Abree' last='Warren'], [player_tooltip player_id='701272' first='Macee' last='Hogancamp'] and freshman [player_tooltip player_id='612113' first='Ella' last='Draper'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Even with Brooklyn being our only club player, we have had a good start for the offseason open gyms and workouts," Puckett said. "I know we have the athleticism to achieve these goals and I believe we have a group of girls who have the determination and focus it takes to achieve these goals. We usually don't start off season training until the end of school, but since I have stepped down from basketball assistant coaching, I've started training earlier and believe this will help our girls start the season off strong."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The biggest question mark going into the season will be libero with Rylee Lemons electing not to return for her junior after recording 489 digs last season instead deciding to focus on softball. Dunn and Draper return as the setters in the 6-2 attack with Hogancamp returning at middle blocker and Warren at outside hitter. Warren said Puckett's youth and experience has helped her relate to her and her teammates. Puckett has even coached Draper's older sisters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dunn had to play different positions such as right side hitter with the West Kentucky Volleyball Club. Dunn said she learned what a good pass looks like from those positions. Dunn noted it is easy to get frustrated with teammates over issues like that, but it taught her perfect passes and sets can't be expected all the time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hogancamp is a three-sport athlete standing 5-10. Hogancamp said offensively, she likes to figure out where to hit balls before striding toward the net, thinking about where the holes were on the previous play. Defensively, Hogancamp said she likes to keep balls from getting across the net, but slow them down for her teammates it they do.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dunn and Draper talked about how far the team communication came from the start of the season to the end. Draper said it took time to learn some plays. However, she noted teams can not run the same plays over and over against experienced teams, adding it's about being able to adapt and change to things throughout the game including the opposing teams' adjustments.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Players to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["701272"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68229fb64fa30"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Hogancamp may be playing softball currently, but she's finding the time to come to open gyms to work out with the volleyball team. Hogancamp uses her size well to make things happen at the net and playing three sports only helps her develop different muscle groups. Hogancamp said she hopes to use her experience to teach the younger players the finer parts of hitting and blocking.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["535258"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68229fb64fa96"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Dunn is a versatile athlete. Her experience hitting will help her better understand where to put balls as a setter in Carlisle County's 6-2 attack. Dunn consistently makes sound decisions with her great hands. Dunn lands setter dumps and serves well doing what she can to help the Comets win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["535256"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68229fb64fae1"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Warren finished second on the team in kills and blocks behind Hogancamp and is working on bettering those totals by finding different places to hit balls. That includes lines, the middle, far corner and short corner. She makes plays when the Comets are out of system. Warren also does a good job making the key first touches.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["612113"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6822a07b96832"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Draper (pictured) will no doubt continue to make plays for the Comets, especially once they figure out the libero position. Draper is a versatile player that makes quick adjustments on the fly. Draper does a good job staying under control and is a sound server, leading the team with 60 aces last fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Note from the Writer</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mike Graham has been writing for Prep Dig for one year and has enjoyed getting to know the volleyball scenes in both Kentucky and Ohio. If you liked the story, please copy and paste to X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. You may also follow us at @prepdigkentucky or @prepdigoh on Instagram in addition to @PrepDigKy or @PrepDigOH on X. If you feel someone in Kentucky or Ohio needs coverage, please email Mike at pnmikeg@yahoo.com. You may also follow him on X @GMCgrah or Instagram @g.michaelgraham. Subscriptions give you access to exclusive content. For a 30% discount, enter code graham30 at checkout.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->