January 18, 2012
Sherri Slater anticipated a learning curve this past season after stepping in as head coach of Onekama’s varsity volleyball program.
After all, inheriting a team and instilling new schemes should probably take some time.
But Slater was quickly impressed with her squad’s ability to absorb all the nuances of the new strategy. And that’s why the first-year coach wasn’t surprised that the Portagers were recently recognized for that sort of knack for learning.
Onekama, as a team, was named Academic All-State by the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association. Seniors Lindsay Nesburg and Nicki Slater received individual Academic All-State honors.
“It goes hand in hand,” Sherri Slater said of athletic and academic success. “Their academic acknowledgment didn’t necessarily surprise me at all. They’re a real smart group of girls. So it was nice to see how that all panned out.”
Onekama’s Nicki Slater (center) celebrates a point last season with Lindsay Nesburg (right) and Kelly Koon. (Dylan Savela/News Advocate file photo) |
Volleyball 2011