The Allen Community College Red Devils volleyball team got acquainted with recently hired Coach Scott Weston as they began practicing for the first time this week.
Looking to cram in all they can before their Aug. 15 scrimmage against Butler Community College, the Red Devils began the first week of two-a-day practice as the students returned to campus.
“They’re pretty athletic, and they got after it well this morning,” Weston said. “They had some much-needed conditioning, and we will probably do that for the next few mornings and into next week.”
Weston takes over for former Allen coach Maria Aikin, who departed from DII Allen to DI Cloud Community College in the offseason. Under Aikin last season, the Red Devils posted a 18-13 overall record and 5-4 in the Jayhawk Conference. They briefly broke into the NJCAA DII top 25 after upsetting then fifth-ranked Johnson County Community College.
“Those teams are going to get better, and it’s our job to get better as well,” Weston said. “We’re going to put the pieces in place to be competitive on a nightly basis, then throw everything on the floor and see how it goes.”
Weston inherits a roster loaded with sophomores. With only three freshmen listed on the roster in setter/defensive specialist Ally Peek, defensive specialist/libero Audrey Lau and middle hitter Kamryn Love, the Red Devils look to pick up in 2026 where they left off in 2025. Coach Weston said he likes what he’s seen so far.
“We’ve got a good base, and they’re a really balanced team,” Weston said. “We’re very aggressive defensively, which is my strength. We’re really aggressive on serve-receive. On paper, it’s good but you have to bring everything together on the floor.”
Although experienced, Weston said his plan in the coming weeks is build from the ground up. With a focus on starting at the service receive, Weston hopes to build momentum on defense and carry it through on the Red Devils’ ensuing possessions.
“Serve-receive is your main focal point, because if you can’t pass then you can’t do anything else,” Weston said. “Serve-receive and defense will be our foundation, and we will build off of those pieces. Finding who our key serve-receivers are going to be and mixing around that is where we’re at.”
In the coming weeks, Weston will face the dilemma many area college coaches face, finding the right fit on the court. Although talented in a variety of aspects, his next focus will be finding what athletes’ skills best compliment their teammates on the court and how to bring that out of his players on every exchange.
“We’ve got a great mix, and offensively we have the opportunity to be pretty solid,” Weston said. “We can mix well in different positions, so we’re pretty versatile. The defense gets after it and you’re not going to see a lot of balls hit the floor on our side.”
