Page 60 of Spin Serve

“You were setting her a little lower than usual. Was that part of the game plan for some reason?”

“No, I was struggling with my sets off of her passes. Her passes were short today. I don’t know why. We’ll talk about it when she gets here. Did you not notice that? Only my errors?”

“I noticed.” Kendra smiled. “Just thought we could focus on you since DJ’s not on the phone with us.”

“Would you like me to call her and have her join the chat?” Aspen laughed.

“No, I just want to talk to you.”

“Don’t you have work tomorrow?” Aspen asked.

“I do. But it’s a travel day. Heading up to Portland to cover the Thorns.”

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping, then?”

“For my two-hour flight that doesn’t leave until one in the afternoon? I think I’ll be okay,” she replied. “When is your match tomorrow?”

“It’s in the afternoon. Four my time.”

“I think that’s, like, six or seven in the morning here. The game I’m covering doesn’t start until six at night, so I should be able to watch your match before I head out, assuming the hotel Wi-Fi isn’t terrible. Who are you playing?”

“Number two team from Sweden. They’re good. They’ve got one of the best defensive players in the world in the backcourt. We’ll have to figure out a way to get the ball around her because she’s fast.”

“Just mix up your shots a lot,” Kendra suggested.

“Oh, that’s all?” Aspen chuckled. “All we need to do?”

“Well, if she’s extra fast, you have to make her work hard. Get her to run a lot. Tire her out as much as you can. If you mix up your shots, even if she gets to them, it’ll be exhausting. May not be a big deal for her in the first set, but it’ll hit her in the second, at least. Give her some tips, too. Make them high to give you time to get back and ready for defense. DJ is the best blocker on tour, so she’ll be able to get you a few points that way, and you’ll be there to pick up anything else. Go line a few times in a row. Make her feel safe back there. Then, hit her with a poke, a cut, a poke again, a line shot, and keep mixing it up. Don’t play off wherever she is. Play to her if you have to in order to keep the mix.”

“You’re suggesting we aim right for her instead of the sand?”

“I’m saying she’s going to stand where she’s going to stand, but you still need to mix up your shots. So, if you’re due for a line shot, and she’s there, still hit her with it. Don’t back off of the strategy unless you really have to. Make sure DJ puts a few over on two. You, too, should put a couple of sets over on two; all the way to the backcourt. Make her really run back there to get it.”

“I’ll talk to DJ,” Aspen said. “Maybe we’ll give it a try.”

“You already know all of this. It’s not like it’s new.”

“It’s nice to hear from someone else who knows how we play and knows the sport. We lost our coach, remember? We’ve been on our own ever since. And it’s okay, but we’ve been missing someone telling us what they see, you know?”

“How’s that going? We haven’t talked about it in a while.”

“We haven’t brought anyone out in a minute. We just wanted to get through this and maybe a few more tourneys before we try again. There aren’t that many great coaches out there.”

“But you’re the number one US team. Don’t coaches just fall at your feet?” Kendra joked.

Aspen laughed and said, “Maybe. But even the ones who are good and willing to leave who they’re with now aren’t always going to work for us. They have to be able to deal with me and DJ, and we’re a handful.”

“I can imagine,” Kendra replied.

“How are things there? How’s that grill you bought but haven’t used yet?”

Kendra smiled and said, “It’s all set up and ready to go. I just need someone here to cook for. Know anyone?”

“I know someone who’s not there right now, but who will be soon. She’s interested.”

“DJ?” Kendra teased.

Aspen laughed again and said, “Not DJ.”

---