The schedule is still a work in progress according to Cottonwood Athletic Director Greg Southwick, but the work is never done for a Colts girls volleyball team that wants to continually improve. 

According to head coach Michaela Hatch, summer open gym continues through June and July at Cottonwood’s Auxiliary Gym, every Tuesday from 5-7 p.m. and Friday from 7-9 a.m., for interested girls going into eighth-12th grades who will be attending AMES or CHS. 

Cottonwood finished last season with a 4-19 overall record and wasn’t deemed good enough to qualify for the state tournament in Hatch’s second season in charge of the Colts. But, it was a lot better records-wise than the 0-13 mark that Cottonwood put up in Hatch’s first season in charge. 

Winning more games this season will be the overarching goal for a Cottonwood program that improved by leaps and bounds last year according to Southwick. 

“You could see them getting better as the season went on,” he said. “We think they’re headed in the right direction.” 

The Colts will have ample opportunity to see what progress has been made over the past nine months; they open this season early with a match against Bear River on Aug. 15. 

It continues with nonleague matches versus Granger on Aug. 22 and on Aug. 27 versus South Summit. 

Cottonwood will finish out the month with a preseason game versus Highland on Aug. 29 before taking a holiday break for Labor Day. 

Part of Cottonwood’s growth last year came as a result of winning two matches in Region 10 play that included a grueling five-set victory over rival Murray. 

For the Colts, improving their play inside their league will be vital to their postseason chances. But, they’ll also need to try and grab some wins outside of Region 10 action to get noticed according to Southwick. 

Cottonwood will finish off a busy month of preseason games when it plays Summit Academy on Sept. 4 and Kearns on Sept. 5. 

After that, Region 10 play begins. The Colts will host rivals Hillcrest on Sept. 10 and will play at Jordan Sept. 12. 

Another rivalry home showdown comes on Sept. 17 when the Colts take on Murray in a rematch of last year’s thrilling victory. Cottonwood will then head to Park City for an away match on Sept. 19. 

The Colts will be home for a contest against Stansbury on Sept. 24 and will be away at Tooele Sept. 26. 

The return leg of Cottonwood’s Region 10 schedule comes on Oct. 3 when the Colts travel to Hillcrest and they’ll be at home for a match against Jordan on Oct. 8. 

A game away at Murray is scheduled for Oct. 9; the Colts will be back at their home gym for a showdown Oct. 15 against Park City. 

To wrap up the slate of games currently on Cottonwood’s schedule, the Colts will be at Stansbury on Oct. 21 and will be at home the next day, Oct. 22, for a game against Tooele. 

For this Colts squad coached by Hatch and assisted by Domincka Shoaf, Katie Lasak and McKenna Shuler, the aim is to continue to improve on last year’s win total and build the program back up to where it used to be when the Colts were competing year in and year out for state titles back in the 1990s and 2000s.  λ