Tuscarawas County volleyball fans got their first look at the upcoming season on Saturday. 

All nine county teams, along with the squad from Hiland, took part in the Tuscarasas County Volleyball Preview, an outdoor event played at Dover’s Crater Stadium. 

An outdoor court was assembled at midfield and teams played two games in a modified format with the score starting at 4-4. 

Claymont faced off against Newcomerstown in the opening contest, followed by a match between Strasburg and Garaway. 

Tusky Valley and Tuscarawas Central Catholic followed, with Indian Valley and New Philadelphia facing off. Dover played Hiland in the final contest of the night. 

The event was presented by the Dover Tornado Club and the Tuscarawas County Sports Hall of Fame. Aultcare Health Insurance was a key sponsor. 

The idea of the Preview was kicked off last fall by members of the Tornado Club. 

“This all started last fall – October or November – planning it, and it all started coming together January, February and March,” said Joel McKinnon 

There was a lot of research, trying to figure out where we would get the floor, how to get the nets to stay up, not having post holes like you do in a gym … officials and trying to see if there was interest from other teams.” 

The event kicked off with temperatures in the upper 80s and a bright sun that had a number of players wearing sunglasses. 

“It was definitely an adjustment that needed to be made, especially playing outside in the heat,” said Claymont senior Jillian Poletti. “It was challenging, especially the sun.” 

Poletti said the court surface was different as well. 

“It was a little spongy, it had a little … a bounce, but it was a good experience and good exposure for women’s sports,” she added. 

Most teams play a limited scrimmage schedule before the start of the season, which kicks off this year on Aug. 15. 

Playing in an outdoors environment made preparation for the event difficult. 

“Preparing to play outside — I don’t know,” admitted New Philadelphia coach Carla Pry. “You’ve got to worry about the sun, first of all. It’s going to be different because it’s outside and nobody

has ever done this before. As far as the elements, you’ve just got to control what you can control, which is how you play.” 

Once the decision was made to hold the preview, Dover coach Beth Matthews reached out to teams in the county to judge interest and all jumped at the opportunity. 

“Probably about nine months ago, the Tornado Club came up with this idea,” Matthews said. “For the next three months, we discussed logistics and researched costs and, once we had some numbers in place, we just had to make the decision to go ahead. At that point, (AD) Tim McCrate was on board and our school supported this. 

“Most of these teams are in the IVC, so they get to see each other, but this is fun and a chance to get everyone together in one place at one time and bring all the communities together and showcase volleyball and women’s sports.” 

No event like this goes off without a hitch, but problems were minimal. 

“We had trouble with tape sticking to the floor, but a little duct tape took care of it,” McKinnon said. “Duct tape fixes everything.”