It isn’t easy to play a sport like volleyball while social distancing, Ponca City Lady Cat coach Jennie Hinterreiter acknowledges.

But she and her team will do their best while going through practice sessions beginning this week. The Lady Cats got started with workouts in the Po-Hi weight room June 8.

All fall sports teams at Po-Hi are able to start working out on the school’s campus as part of Phase I of summer guidelines put in place by the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association and Ponca City Public Schools. Phase I will be in effect until June 29.

Volleyball, because it is played indoors, has more stringent rules to follow than the outdoor sports such as football and softball.

Hinterreiter said that practices will involve small group workouts. Players will be required to wear masks and stay six feet apart.

“It won’t be easy for the girls to workout while wearing masks. But there are some drills we can do, such as serve and receive,” Hinterreiter said. “It will be different, but we will have to be sure we are following the restrictions.”

Tryouts will be permitted in Phase II and on July 15, unrestricted practice sessions will be permitted. Hinterreiter said she is still unsure of the exact meaning of “unrestricted practice.”

All school activities in the State of Oklahoma were put on hold in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Phase I and Phase II guidelines were put in place to govern the re-emergence of activities during summer months.

Hinterreiter finds herself in this unusual position in her first year of being the Lady Cat head coach. She was named to replace longtime coach Jaimee Miller shortly before the pandemic shutdown.

“Things are different,” she said. “But we have to remind ourselves that every single school in the state is where we are. We want to do what we can to help keep things safe for one another.”