But Garmon could end up in the sand at the next level. Festus head coach Karen Biehle, the JCAA coach of the year, said collegiate sand volleyball is rapidly gaining popularity. Surprisingly, the hall of fame coach isn’t concerned about players going to the beach game, which has enjoyed a major boost from Olympic competition that began in 1992.
“It’s a growing sport. Several elite girls in the conference have told me they’re leaning toward sand volleyball,” said Biehle, who guided the Tigers to 29 wins and the Class 3 quarterfinals this fall. “On the state level, it’s not going anywhere at this point.”
And neither is Garmon, for one more year. Watching her gracefully glide around the court, blocking shots, spiking with a strong right overhand and diving for digs, it’s easy to see why the coaches in the JCAA single her out as the league’s best.
An outside hitter, Garmon has racked up more than 1,000 career kills, but she’s hardly a one-dimensional player. She made only two errors on 225 serves this fall and had nearly as many digs (398) as kills (435). When Festus beat St. Pius X, the defending Class 2 state champions, in three sets, Garmon registered 14 kills and three blocks.
“She is a very versatile player,” Biehle said. “She can hit from six spots on the court. She keeps working to get better each year. She’s a great team player who supports her teammates (and) really works on her defense.”
Tiger senior Madalyn Wenzelburger, a second-team selection in 2017, was elevated to the first team this season after posting 179 kills. Even more impressive, her work in the classroom has earned her academic all-state honors for three straight years. Biehle said several colleges have shown interest in Wenzelburger’s volleyball skills.
“Maddy played strong outside hitter opposite Bria and we relied on her,” Biehle said. “You have to have two good players on the outside and we did. Maddy was versatile enough to play in the middle. She has good height and has a good skill level and can jump and hit.
“She has a great attitude. Unfortunately, she was hurt the last part of the year but we kept her on the court in a lot of different ways.”
Since coming out of retirement in 2016 to lead the Tigers again, Biehle has guided them to 16-, 19- and 29-win seasons. She puts high demands on her players, but their success the past three years is proof Biehle is still at the top of her game.
“About halfway through the season I met with the team and told them they were a surprise team,” Biehle said. “They support each other and the players who were subs came in and did their part. So it was truly a team effort on our part. I really loved this team. It was a group of people who had one goal. Some people gave up playing time for the team to be successful.”
Biehle said she’s grateful for the acknowledgement from her peers in the JCAA.
“It’s like a new generation of volleyball,” she said. “Coming back and being recognized by them is really special.”
Duncan back on first team
Windsor junior setter Taylor Duncan was named to the large-schools first team for the second straight season. She posted 345 assists and served up 29 aces this fall. She has 65 aces and 856 assists over the past two years.
Windsor finished 14-14-3 after losing to Park Hills Central in the Class 3 District 2 semifinals.
“Taylor Duncan is a complete player,” Windsor head coach Stephanie Dueker said. “She can do it all and she does it all very well. She has the heart and drive to match her talent as well, making her the total package. Although she has the perfect attitude and skill to be a 5-1 setter, she also has the toughness to be a top-notch libero and the determination and court awareness to be a hitter, even at 5-4. I am looking forward to another healthy and full season with Taylor.”
Hawks’ seniors part of revival
Hillsboro has won 40 matches and reached the Class 4 District 1 semifinals the last two seasons. The Hawks finished this season 17-11-4 after losing to district champion Farmington in three sets.
Seniors Shea Luby and Halle Roland have played a big part in that success and the two Hawks were named to the first team. It’s the second time Luby, an outside hitter, has earned that honor. This season she produced 21 aces, 184 kills and 357 digs. Roland, the setter, led the Hawks with 54 aces and 436 assists.
Like Garmon, Luby has shown her versatility in taking care of the ball and playing great defense. She has signed to play volleyball at CentralMethodistUniversity in Fayette.
Roland ran a 5-1 formation at the beginning of the season, but when the Hawks switched to a 6-2, she became a right side hitter. Hillsboro head coach Erin Boss said she needed Roland as a hitter because she is smart and can read the ball well. Roland plans to play in college at SouthwestBaptistUniversity in Bolivar.
“Shea and Halle both got on the first team because they are all-around great, smart volleyball players,” Boss said. “They are great leaders on and off the court. They are both model athletes as well as model students.”
Small-schools
Blue Jays succeed despite coaching change
Tara Fish took over the Jefferson volleyball team suddenly last summer when head coach Ashleigh Nagel suffered a heart attack in July.
The Blue Jays could have let their emotions get the better of them. But the more Nagel recovered through the fall, the better Jefferson played.
By the time they were finished, the Blue Jays had won 30 games and eliminated defending Class 2 state champion St. Pius X in the Class 2 District 3 semifinals before bowing out to red-hot ArcadiaValley in the district final. The Tigers ended up second in Class 2.
Three Jefferson players -- seniors Gracie Fish (Tara’s daughter), Kendall Runzi and Jenna Courtois -- were selected to the JCAA small-schools first team. Gracie Fish was named the 2018 small-schools most valuable player. A setter, she set team records for service points (227) in a season and career assists (1,135).
“There were records broken and goals met and surpassed,” Tara Fish said. “I know (the players) were sad to see the season end, and so was I.”
Fish said she’s known most of the team’s seniors since they were in kindergarten. She plans to go back to coaching the junior varsity in 2019 with a fully recovered Nagel returning as head coach.
“I grabbed each girl and gave them a bear hug (at season’s end),” Fish said. “Once you have a kid as a student or an athlete, they are always your kid. I love each of them and their families dearly and they will always hold a special place in my heart.”
Some of Runzi’s digs during the district tournament were worthy of the ESPN highlight reel; she finished with 511 on the season. The libero also surpassed her own school record for service receptions in a season (484) and holds the career mark with 1,332.
Courtois is only the third player in school history to top 200 kills in a season. Hilah Fish, Gracie’s sister, has the record with 315. Alexis Armstrong is second (269) and Courtois third with her 204 this fall.
“The key to our season was just that we were a team – end of story,” Tara Fish said. “The players, managers, families, coaches and administration all stuck together and were all selfless.”
St. Pius X title streak ends
After winning back-to-back Class 2 state championships in 2016 and 2017, St. Pius came back to earth this fall, failing to advance out of district play.
The Lancers lost nine seniors from their 2017 team and finished 12-8-2. But they are never far from reloading for another run to state.
Senior Kaylee Portell capped a stellar varsity career by moving up from the all-JCAA second team to the first team this season. Portell led the Lancers in kills (162) and blocks (48) as a force in the middle of the front row and her teammates fed off of her exuberance. Portell recently signed to play next year at MineralAreaCollege in Park Hills.
“This was her first year as a six-rotation player,” St. Pius head coach Shannon Leftridge said. “She was determined to be on the court all the time. We were young and inexperienced, so that really made a difference.
“She really proved herself as a dedicated leader. The girls looked to her as their team captain. She was very dedicated to the game. She (also) plays sand volleyball. I’m very happy to see her go to MAC.”
Junior Caly Otec will receive the mantle of team leader in 2019. An outside hitter, Otec served successfully 94.5 percent of the time, scored 14 aces and had 89 kills this year. Her older sister Jena, a leader of those back-to-back champion Lancer squads, now plays for PurdueUniversity.
“The girls will be looking to (Caly) for leadership next year,” Leftridge said. “I know she wants to go to the next level. That will be a good position for her. She’ll feel some pressure, but that’s good.
“She works hard in her off time (and) is playing all the time. She was more vocal this year. She can be kind of reserved. It was nice to see her take that role with confidence.”
Eagle senior provided spark
Grandview senior Kaylyn Sparks moved up from second team to first after compiling 419 assists and 92 percent accuracy on her serves. Sparks is also a starter on the Eagles’ basketball team.
Under head coach Madeline Ketcherside, the Eagles have won 36 matches the past two seasons. Grandview fell to St. Vincent in the Class 2 District 3 tournament.
“Kaylyn ended the season on a high note,” Ketcherside said. “She was a great leader on and off the court and was always giving 100 percent of her time and effort to volleyball.”