Moore earns first All-State selection for Lady Pioneers volleyball since 2004

TEN SLEEP - Going 1-22 during the volleyball season was tough on the Ten Sleep Lady Pioneers but while the year was trying, the Lady Pioneers did receive good news on Sunday. Junior Bryley Moore was named to the 1A All-State volleyball team, on top of earning All-Conference honors and being named the 1A Northwest conference player of the year.

"It was a deserving honor for her. It was exciting to have her be recognized for her talents and the sky is the limit for her," said TSHS volleyball coach Desiree Egger. "She works hard and is involved in every play and was recognized as an all-around good player."

Moore's All-State selection is the first for Ten Sleep volleyball since 2004 when Kayla Sterling earned the same honors.

During the coaches meetings at the 1A state volleyball tournament, Egger said that she was not alone in trying to get Moore on the All-State team. Coaches in the 1A West conference, as well as coaches from the 1A East, spoke in favor of her.

"I told her Sunday after state volleyball and she kept saying, 'Really? Really?' I don't think she ever expected to get player of the year or All-State. Deep down, I think she knew she could get All-Conference. Last year she was in the mix for All-State but as a sophomore it was tough," Egger said.

She added, "They recognized her for her work ethic, she was always involved in the play, especially at the conference level. At the state level, we had coaches from Kaycee and Arvada speak on her behalf and that was very cool."

There's going to be plenty of motivation for the Lady Pioneers next season, coming off a one-win season. Their one win this season was an upset over the Dubois Lady Rams. But Egger is hoping the awards that Moore earned adds to her team's motivation. So come this time next season, Moore will be joined by a few teammates on the All-Conference and All-State teams.

"I'm sure the other girls on the team will see that hard work does pay off even if you don't have the best season," said Egger. "We didn't have the greatest go this season but the girls that I have are competitors and they gave it their all this season. We played in several close matches and really never got blown out. We just need to get more touches in the summer by going to camps. We have a lot of girls going out for basketball that haven't in the past and that's very exciting."

Added Egger, "We just want to be better as a program, and not trying to compare ourselves to another team but comparing ourselves to ourselves. Next year we want to be better than we were this year. That's what we're going to strive for and we need to come in strong and not have to rebuild."

Pushing the program forward is going to take work in the offseason by the Lady Pioneers. Normally, Egger plans volleyball camps and open gyms in June but for the coming summer, she'll move those plans to July, closer to the season. That way her team can hit the ground running when practices start up in August.

"We'll try to focus on getting most of our summer touches a month or so outside from the season starting," said Egger. "Fundamentally they're not too bad. We do need to keep working on our communication and be more consistent. Their fundamentals were solid this season but it really came down to our communication and inconsistent play. The consistency will come with age and playing more. Those high-pressure moments can be tough on younger players but as they get older they know how to deal with it better."