Camp gives Corhn first taste of Polk volleyball as opening practice nears

Molly Corhn had a broad smile on her face Wednesday as she wrapped up three days of volleyball camp at Polk County High School.

The Wolverines’ new head coach is settling just fine into her first coaching position.

“We had anywhere from 20 to 23 girls show up every day,” Corhn said. “It’s been really good.

“Of course the first thing I wanted to do is get everybody in the gym and working hard. I want to try to prepare them for what’s coming.”

What’s coming is two days of tryouts as Polk County begins fall practice on Friday. That will also mark the official debut of Corhn, named earlier this month as the replacement for former head coach Kelly Risley, who stepped down in June for family reasons and accepted a position at Rugby Middle School.

Corhn, a recent graduate of Lees-McRae, has hit the ground running in her new post.

“It’s been extremely busy,” Corhn said. “Being hired right before the season started, the day after I got hired, I came in and got started on things. It’s been non-stop since. But it’s been great. It has kept me busy and kept me organized, and I like that.”

This week’s camp at Polk County, open to high school-age players, allowed Corhn a chance to interact with both returning players and newcomers from Polk County Middle School. That interaction has proven to be all Corhn hoped for and more.

“I was worried. . .I’m young, and I thought maybe they would think I’m so young they could treat me like a friend and not as a coach,” Corhn said. “But it’s been yes ma’am to everything, they’ve called me Coach Corhn, it’s been exactly the opposite of what I expected.

“They’ve all told me they’re excited to have me here. I feel like I’ve bonded with every girl so far.”

Corhn will select her varsity and junior varsity squads by Saturday afternoon, then begin practice in earnest with each on Monday. Both teams are slated to take part in a preseason jamboree at Xcel Volleyball on August 9, with the regular season opener on August 19 at West Henderson. Four of the team’s first five matches are on the road, the lone exception the home opener with Brevard on August 20.

“We’re going to have hard practices right from the get go,” Corhn said. “There’s a lot of conditioning, a lot of preparation in what’s coming.”