Coach’s daughter takes setter position at EV

Jim Dorr is the first to tell you he’s not an easy coach to play for.

“I start by asking for perfection and then I look for improvement from there,” he says, summing up his approach to high school volleyball at East Valley High School. It’s an approach that works, earning Dorr the Greater Spokane League Coach-of-the-Year award the past two seasons – no minor feat for the coach of a Class 3A program in the state’s toughest Class 4A league.

So when it came time for his daughter, Alyssa, to move into his starting lineup, the coach admits to having a few concerns. Especially given the fact that the senior takes over as the team’s setter.

A volleyball team’s offense runs through its setter the way basketball offenses run through a point guard and a football team’s through the quarterback. Each is a demanding position that is an extension of the coach on the court or field.

“I’ve thought a lot about that,” the coach said. “This is her senior year and this time is precious. It’s not going to be long before she’s gone off to college. I didn’t want her playing for me to take away from our father-daughter time.”

So far, Alyssa insists, it’s working out just fine.

“It takes some getting used to,” she said. “On the court, he’s coach. When we get home, he’s dad. We’re making it work.”

It’s also a Dorr family trait.

The Dorrs play volleyball. Brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, aunts, uncles – everyone plays.

“Yes, it’s something you’re kind of expected to do in this family,” Alyssa laughed. “But I do have a choice. I play because I love the game.”

She’s been a part of East Valley volleyball since her grade school days. She would always travel with the team and frequently kept game stats for her father.

“I wouldn’t let her actually play with the team in those days,” her father said. “She’s been a scout for me for a long time. She understands how to break down a team and evaluate a player. I trust her judgment.”

Last year Alyssa was a defensive specialist for the team, playing behind veteran setter Kelsey Kurtz.

“I got to watch Kelsey run the offense last year and I learned from it,” she said. “I got to play a few games at setter as well, and I got some valuable experience there.

“Setter is my No. 1 position and I play there when I play club volleyball.”

Alyssa paid her dues in full before stepping into the middle for her senior season.

“I do feel like I want to make sure I take advantage of this opportunity and make up for some lost time,” she said.

On the court, the father-daughter/coach-setter relationship is working out well.

“She’s doing really well running the offense,” her father said. “She’s done everything I’ve asked of her as a team leader. I think she’s more comfortable doing that by her actions rather than being a vocal leader, but she’s working to do that, too.”

The Knights entered the season with two senior standouts on the sidelines with knee injuries – all-GSL first-team outside hitter Allie Riggin and middle hitter Jessicca Weitman.

Through their first seven games, the team was 4-3, including a win over Ferris in five games.

“I think we got through the first month in pretty good shape,” the coach said. “We had some players step up and fill some roles that we needed them to play. We’ve got Allie back in the lineup and she had 42 kills in her first two matches. Jessica has been cleared to play and she’s working her way back to a point where she can play. She had a very good practice (Wednesday) and she’s close.”

“At the beginning of the year, we knew we were going to have to come together, stay positive and do the best we could,” Alyssa said. “We’re going to have to shift things around with Allie and Jessicca coming back and we’re going to have to adjust to playing new roles. But we still have a positive attitude about it and we’re all working hard.”

The Knights should be at full strength for next weekend’s Crossover Classic tournament at Lewis and Clark and other venues around the GSL. The team will have a chance to pile up a lot of games over the weekend and build up a sense of team rhythm.

“It’s pretty easy to play with a player like Allie,” Alyssa said. “It’s pretty easy to feed her – pretty much any time you can get her the ball you know she’s going to make something good happen. We worked pretty well together in her first couple of games and it’s only going to only get better the more we play together.”

Her father agrees.

“I think the one thing we really need to work on is our on-court communication,” he said. “I think we can get there and, from that standpoint, the tournament comes at just the right time. I would be happier if it came a week later, but I think I’d always say that.”