Progressive skill development is important for the sustained success of any program.

Both the Juneau-Douglas and Thunder Mountain High School volleyball teams have known this for years.

With an experienced and committed senior class on both teams, it’s hard to say who will be raising the Region V trophy in two months.

TMHS head coach Arnold Ibias channels his leadership through Mary Landes, Rachel Macaulay and Maxie Saceda-Hurt.

Landes was named hardest worker for the Falcons track team last season. Saceda-Hurt and Macaulay’s play at the 2017 state softball tournament smoothed TMHS’ reclaiming of the small schools championship.

“Two of the seniors are softball players, so they know what it’s like to win — state champs two years in a row,” Ibias said of Saceda-Hurt and Macaulay. “So they understand what it takes to win. Those are the two that I’ve challenged to say, ‘Hey, you need to lead the team this year.’”

Saceda-Hurt said the team can be even better than they were last season when they came up just short at regionals.

“Just because we did good last year, doesn’t mean we won’t push even harder this year to improve more,” Saceda-Hurt said.

Across town, the four seniors on JDHS have an important ingredient: friendship. Cassie Dzinich, Leah Spargo, Jessica Pierce and Abby Meiners’ success on the volleyball court is non-binding on their shared congeniality.

“We’re all really supportive of each other, we’re really trying to be positive and have fun,” Dzinich said.

They won three straight games at the regional tournament last season to advance to the state tournament. They have a great chance to go back again, but winning a state championship isn’t the end-all-be-all goal.

“We talked about it — Leah, Cassie, Jessica and — before the season, ‘This is our last season, we want to have fun. We don’t want to remember whether we win or lose,” Meiners said. “We play so better when we’re having fun, it releases all the stress and all the pressure.”

Frequent flier miles

The Crimson Bears and Falcons will feel like professional players on at least one of their respective trips. JDHS is in Nome this weekend, requiring a nearly two-hour flight from Anchorage.

TMHS will be in Washington state next month for games against South Kitsap and Mt. Rainer.

“It’s unfortunate that you have to travel down south, but at the same time, it’s a great experience,” Ibias said. “The volleyball down south, it’s just different, I’m not going to say better, I’m just going to say different. And the girls get to see girls that are potentially Division I players.”

The two crosstown schools will go head-to-head four times in the regular season, not counting tournament games. Both teams will also play in at least one Anchorage tournament. The Falcons have penciled in the Dimond-Service Tournament in late October and the Crimson Bears play in the Spiketacular in mid-September.

This year’s regional tournament will be played in Ketchikan, Nov. 3-4.

Falcons coaching staff

Arnold Ibias

Kylie Ibias

Carla Dunovan

Kristi Smith

Julie Herman

Crimson Bears coaching staff

Dale Bontrager

Lesley Kalbrener

Pat Gorman

Sarah Johnson

Krista Bontrager

Patricia Enriquez

TMHS season schedule

(Times listed for varsity games)

Aug. 25-26 Jamboree at Ketchikan

Sept. 8 at Ketchikan

Sept. 9 at Ketchikan

Sept. 15 Sitka 8 p.m.

Sept. 16 Sitka 6 p.m.

Sept. 21 at South Kitsap

Sept. 22 at Mt. Rainier

Sept. 26 at JDHS 8 p.m.

Sept. 29 Ketchikan 8 p.m.

Sept. 30 Ketchikan 6 p.m.

Oct. 3 JDHS 8 p.m.

Oct. 6-7 Small school tournament at TMHS

Oct. 13-14 JIVE Tournament at JDHS

Oct. 20-21 Dimond-Service Tournament (Anchorage)

Oct. 27 at JDHS 8 p.m.

Oct. 28 JDHS 6 p.m.

Nov. 3-4 Region V Tournament in Ketchikan

JDHS season schedule

(Times listed for varsity games)

Aug. 25 at Nome-Beltz 7 p.m.

Aug. 26 at Nome-Beltz 7 p.m.

Sept. 8 at Sitka/Mt. Edgecumbe

Sept. 9 at Sitka/Mt. Edgecumbe

Sept. 15-16 Spiketacular Tournament (Anchorage)

Sept. 26 TMHS 8 p.m.

Sept. 29 at Petersburg

Sept. 30 at Peterburg

Oct. 3 at TMHS 8 p.m.

Oct. 6 at Ketchikan

Oct. 7 at Ketchikan

Oct. 12 Ketchikan 8 p.m.

Oct. 13-14 JIVE tournament at JDHS

Oct. 19 at East Anchorage

Oct. 20-21 Service-Dimond Tournament*

Oct. 27 TMHS 8 p.m.

Oct. 28 at TMHS 6 p.m.

Nov. 3-4 Region V Tournament in Ketchikan

*Team awaiting entrance into tournament

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• Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nolin.ainsworth@juneauempire.com.

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