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The Cottonwood volleyball team doesn't look like a club that is 14-1 and at the top of 5A standings.

None of the girls on the team are over 6 feet, and you might mistake young head coach Jenna Neeves for a player sitting on the bench. But the Colts have found ways to be successful.

Despite having a first-year head coach at the helm, the Colts have blossomed under the wing of Neeves who played for Skyline in high school and was a setter at BYU from 2004-08.

"Her experience as a player and her maturity has allowed her to be successful," Cottonwood Athletic Director Matt Baumann said. "She looks young, but she has the training and the right experiences to be a really good coach."

Neeves spent the two years between graduating from college and taking over as head coach by working as the assistant at Cottonwood under longtime coach Bob Berrett.

When Berrett chose to retire for family reasons, he said he was confident that Neeves would be a great person to replace him.

"It wasn't an easy decision to make to retire, but I was confident that Jenna would be able to step in and continue with the tradition of the program," Berrett said. "She gets along well with the girls, she relates to them and I knew it would be a smooth transition."

While Neeves said the transition for her has required a lot of getting used to, the system and the girls weren't affected much by the change.

"There has been more responsibility for me because now it isn't just coaching, but it's getting uniforms and scheduling games and managing the team," Neeves said. "But Bob did a really good job teaching the girls fundamentals and how to play together as a team."

The girls on the team say that having a younger coach has its benefits, like Neeves being able to practice with them and understanding what it's like to be a player.

"She is always sharing experiences from playing at BYU and in high school," senior Whitney Taylor said. "She really understands what everyone is feeling and can relate to us as players."

Not all of the Colts' success this season can be attributed to the coaching of Neeves or Berrett, however. Much of the credit should be given to the girls and the tight bond they have developed over the years.

With eight seniors, Cottonwood has the experience to win. But as an added bonus for the Colts, all but one of the seniors have been playing together since they were in junior high.

"I feel like because we are such close friends, playing together means more," said Siena Duffe, who joined the team from Texas last season." I can see the difference from my team back in Texas, because normally when someone messes up there would be tension but our chemistry is amazing and we support each other so much and I think that really helps all of us."

Other coaches and teams have taken notice of the chemistry oozing from the Colts.

"They have been playing together for years and they know each other backwards and forwards and that shows on the court," Skyline head coach Jami Hutchins said. "They knew each other's strengths and weaknesses and complement each other and if they don't make mistakes, they are very hard to beat."

Neeves said her players really are close on and off the court, and that bond has made her job as a coach easier and will continue to make the Colts successful as the season rolls on.

"They know each other and how to communicate, so we don't have to spend too much time on that," Neeves said. "They are best friends off the court and they play hard for each other, they want to win for each other because they are the definition of a team and want to see each other succeed." —

Cottonwood volleyball

The Colts have only lost 4 sets all season, sweeping 13 of their 15 opponents.

Neeves, the 24-year-old coach, played basketball and volleyball her freshman year at BYU.

Seven of the eight seniors have played together since junior high.