By Bart Moss / For the FCT

The Tharptown Lady Wildcats wrapped up their summer workouts at UAB this past Friday for volleyball camp.

“The three-day camp was very extensive in all aspects of volleyball,” said Tharptown coach Tracey Fretwell. “We took both teams, JV and varsity, with us to camp.”

The intensive camp began at 7 a.m. each day and ended at 9:30 p.m. Fretwell said there was a mixture of individual and position instruction, along with team competition.

“It was a hard and challenging camp for our girls,” said Fretwell. “They went there to compete and gave it all they had. They were open to learning new techniques and plays.”

On the last day of competition, the Lady Wildcats made it to the Bronze tournament bracket, where they lost to 6A Northridge.

“I was proud of the way they competed against some bigger schools,” said Fretwell. “We are making the jump from 1A to 2A this year, and the competition level we will have to face will be a lot tougher.”

Tharptown junior high player Leslie Staggs and varsity player Perla Chavez were given awards at the camp for their effort.

“I am proud of our team,” said Fretwell. “This is close-knit group of girls, and they love the game. We can’t wait for the season to start.”