Four starters return to the Hillsboro volleyball team a year after the Hawks finished 4-0 in conference play and won the Jefferson County Activities Association large-schools championship.
Seniors Shea Luby and Halle Roland and juniors Grace Ringling and Mackenzie Schwartz form the nucleus of a Hillsboro team that finished 23-9-4 a year ago after losing to Mehlville in the semifinals of the Class 4 District 2 tournament. In the new district alignment, set for the 2018 and 2019 seasons, the Hawks remain in Class 4 but have moved south to District 1, hosted by Jackson. The other schools in the district are Cape Girardeau Central, Farmington, Poplar Bluff and Sikeston.
Erin Boss enters her third year as Hillsboro’s head coach and counting this year’s 1-1 start, she’s won 46 matches already. Boss said her squad this year is full of personality, so there’s rarely a dull moment on the court.
“This season my expectations are high for my team,@ Boss said. “We lost a couple of strong players last year who left big shoes to fill, but I’m confident the girls will step up to the plate and then some when it comes to their team and teammates.@
Luby’s primary position is outside hitter, but she can play anywhere on the floor. Ringling is a middle hitter. This is the third season on the varsity for both. Luby led the Hawks last year with 333 serves and only 13 errors (96 percent). She was second on the team with 408 digs and 261 serve-receives. Ringling was second on the team with 143 blocks and 146 kills.
“These two are great team leaders and are very vocal on and off the floor,@ Boss said.
Roland is a setter and outside hitter and was second on the team with 313 assists a year ago. Boss said Roland will have a hard job running the offense, but is a tough competitor and always finds a way to get the job done.
Schwartz, the libero, anchors the defense. She recorded 225 digs in 2017 and also had the best serve percentage (97.5) of any returning player.
“She works hard every day. Now I just have to get her to find her voice,@ Boss said.
The Hawks opened with a home win over Potosi and a road loss to Northwest, both matches in straight sets. They host Jackson (2-0) tonight (Thursday).
Fish steps in for Nagel
Jefferson head coach Ashleigh Nagel suffered a heart attack on July 16. Nagel is recovering at home but is not coaching the Blue Jays this season.
Assistant coach Tara Fish takes over as acting head coach. Jefferson finished 16-12-4 last year after losing to Class 2 state champion and JCAA small-schools rival St. Pius X in the District 3 semifinals. Eight returning seniors will help Fish get acclimated in the top job.
“We are excited about our offense getting stronger over the summer and continue to grind on our defense,@ Fish said.
Seniors Alexis Armstrong (outside hitter), Jenna Courtois (outside hitter), Ashley Edmond (middle hitter), Gracie Fish (setter) and Kendall Runzi (libero) give the Blue Jays experience all across the floor. Runzi was a first-team all-JCAA (small schools) selection a year ago while Armstrong made the second team.
New to the varsity this year are juniors Kylee Barton, Mackenzie Belland, Morgan Daugherty, Abby Govreau and Maddie Todd and sophomore Laney Smith.
“Our outside hitters (Armstrong and Courtois) and middle hitters (Edmond and Smith) are coming in faster and stronger,” the coach said. “Our defense is led by Runzi, who has received postseason honors the last two years, and will continue to be tough. We will be running a 5-1 with Gracie.”
Armstrong (112) and Courtois (92) led the Blue Jays in kills last season. Gracie Fish primed the attack with 219 assists and Runzi had the most digs (420).
Jefferson is off to a 2-0 start after beating Kingston and Seckman. In the three-set home victory over the Class 4 Jaguars (25-16, 20-25, 25-13), Gracie Fish collected 22 points, 20 assists and three aces. Courtois had 10 kills. The Blue Jays are back in action tonight (Thursday) in Ste. Genevieve against Valle Catholic.
During summer camps, Jefferson’s focus was “We-Me.” Tara Fish said they didn’t realize how important that phrase would become.
“Our team has really had to have the ability to overcome adversity,” she said. “With their hearts heavy, worrying and praying for Coach Nagel, they are using those feelings as drive and energy to focus during skillwork and they want to be at their best for her this season.”
Jefferson will host the Class 2 District 3 tournament in October. Also competing in that district are Arcadia Valley, Grandview, Kingston, St. Pius X, St. Vincent and West County.
Blackcats rebuilding this year
Herculaneum swept Potosi and Festus in straight sets to reach the Class 3 District 2 championship match last season. But then Ste. Genevieve returned the favor, ending a successful two-year run for the Blackcats that saw them win 43 matches.
Eight of the 10 varsity players who’d been together since middle school graduated in the spring, leaving veteran head coach Audrey Meda to rebuild the roster.
“This year will be restructuring for us,” said Meda, starting her 13th season in charge. “Two sophomores will be used to play the middle, both of whom are still developing mentally and physically. The girls are go-getters, very dedicated and hard working, so (while) we lack in experience, their energy and drive will potentially win them some unexpected games.”
Herculaneum’s two returning players are seniors Emily Schultz and Tori Gonzalez. Schultz is a setter and outside hitter and Gonzalez plays libero and is a defensive specialist.
Junior Taylor Metcalf will help Schultz run the offense as another setter.
“Both young ladies are capable of running the court and I hope we can utilize their versatility to assist the offense,” Meda said.
Juniors Lily Stauder, Kylie Barnes and Jordan Allen will play outside, while sophomores Paige Fowler and Emily Wiese will man the middle.
“We are very young, but what we lack there, we are eager and determined to work hard to accomplish and grow as a team,” Meda said.
Herculaneum visits Park Hills Central tonight (Thursday) for a first look at a rival in Class 3 District 2. The Rebels will host the district tournament, which also will feature De Soto, Festus, North County, Potosi and Windsor.
Dragons step down a class
After competing in Class 4 District 1 the last two seasons, De Soto has moved back down to Class 3 District 2. That might help the Dragons be more competitive than they were last year, when they ended up 9-22-2.
“We played a highly competitive schedule and were in the hunt in quite a few games,” said De Soto head coach Lindsey Brinkman, who enters her eighth year at the helm. “I had a lot of high hopes for that group of seniors (class of 2018), but we never seemed to be able to put an entire match together and finish.”
The Dragons already have played seven matches, losing six. While they were winless in the Windsor Tournament, they played defending Class 2 state champion St. Pius X tough in a 23-25, 23-25 loss.
Senior Kristen Theiss, the Dragon libero, returns for her third varsity season. Last year, she had 438 receptions and 327 digs.
“She will have to be a steady force on the back line,” Brinkman said.
Senior Emily Bielicke returns as the middle hitter after posting 133 kills and 94 blocks last season. Junior Emma Portell, formerly an outside hitter, has transitioned into the setter role. Juniors Haley Johnson and Amy Reiser are defensive specialists and junior Jillian Williams will help at setter.
Brinkman’s squad may be the youngest in the JCAA. Of the 20 players in the program, 12 are sophomores.
One of the top 10th-graders is Kamryn Pehle, who played varsity as a freshman and has moved from the right side to outside hitter.
“She’s gained strength and confidence,” Brinkman said.
Brinkman said Kiley Roth has shown significant improvement and should be a consistent hitter. The Dragons’ other “big middle” is Taylor Jones, who should help on blocks. Maci Cluff will help on the right side with Lexi Price, and Jenna Nickelson adds quickness to the back row. All are sophomores.
De Soto is back in action at home Sept. 11 against JCAA large-schools rival Hillsboro.
Tigers bristle with talent, experience this season
Festus returns 10 players from a team that won 20 matches last year. The top returnee is the 2017 JCAA large-schools player of the year, junior Bria Garmon.
Garmon received first team all-conference and Class 3 all-state honors last season. She was constantly on the attack and deadly with her swing, registering 357 kills. She also threw up 70 blocks (21 solo) in 76 sets played.
Senior outside-middle hitter Maddy Wenzelburger was a second team all-conference performer last season after posting 178 kills and blocking 45 shots.
The other returning players are seniors Claire Werner (middle hitter), Grace Lassing (DS, libero), Grace Hoffman (DS) and Alexis Thebeau (setter); juniors Kate Todd (setter) and Mackenzie Warfel (right side) and sophomores Lily Brickhaus (outside-right side) and Jessica Hebenstreit (middle hitter).
Junior Taylor Jackson (right side-outside), sophomores Hannah Warfel (setter) and Shelbi Ortmann (middle hitter) and freshman Devin Younger (DS, libero) round out the varsity roster.
With Garmon and Wenzelburger guarding the posts and Werner, Hebenstreit and Ortmann in the middle, the Tigers have the potential for a devastating offense.
“We have more attackers than in the past couple of years,” said Festus head coach Karen Biehle who begins her 33rd year. “We have more position versatility within the squad.”
Festus finished second in three tournaments a year ago – their own as well as the North County and Seckman Invitationals. Biehle’s expectations for 2018 are to win the JCAA large-schools and Class 3 District 2 titles.
Through last week, the Tigers were 1-1, beating host Ste. Genevieve (21-25, 25-20, 25-14) but falling at Farmington in straight sets. They’re at Valle Catholic tonight (Thursday) before finally coming home against Fox on Sept. 11.
Meyer keys Hornets’ success in the middle
Crystal City, the only Class 1 volleyball team in Jefferson County, has three seniors returning to the varsity lineup who will have a huge impact on the Hornets’ season.
Riley Meyer is back in the middle after leading the Hornets with 82 kills in 2017. She’s hoping to raise her kill percentage well above last year’s 18 percent.
“I expect Riley to be effective in the middle as she has been in the weight room working on her strength and vertical (jump),” said head coach Laura Helwig, who begins her 17th season on the bench.
Seniors Emily Picarella (setter) and Michaiah Fels (outside hitter) are the Hornets’ other two returners. Picarella played libero and defensive specialist last season but has moved to setter.
The Hornets finished 3-20 in 2017 after losing in straight sets to St. Vincent in the first round of the Class 1 District 4 tournament. They remain in that same district for this season and next, along with host Bismarck and St. Paul Lutheran (Farmington), Valle Catholic, Valley (Caledonia) and Viburnum.
Crystal is 1-1 so far, losing at home to Bismarck but beating Valley in three sets. The Hornets were scheduled to play home-and-home matches against Crossroads College Prep this week and will host Grandview on Friday.
Grandview considers life with only one Ketcherside
Grandview head coach Madeline Ketcherside has led the volleyball team to consecutive 17-win seasons and entering her fourth year with the Eagles, she said she expects her team to work hard, improve every day and have fun.
Grandview was led by Ketcherside’s younger sister, Macy, for the last three years, but Macy graduated in the spring and is playing volleyball at Mineral Area College.
With Macy, the Eagles finished 17-10-1 last season after losing to Jefferson in the Class 2 District 3 tournament.
The Eagles return a pair of all-Jefferson County Activities Association small schools players to their starting lineup. Kaylyn Sparks (second team) returns at setter after leading the team with 435 assists last season. Katie Huskey (honorable mention) will switch between outside hitter and the back row and only made nine errors in 304 service attempts in 2017.
Junior middle hitter Hailey Harlow and sophomore Lanie Dierker, who can play outside hitter, back row and setter, are the other returning players.
The rest of the roster includes senior Alyssa Kohl, sophomores Molly Gearhart, Megan Jones and Shelby Chastain and freshman Natalee Moore.
Grandview opened the season at home against Scott City on Aug. 28 and beat the Rams 25-15, 25-15, exacting a small measure of revenge between the two schools after Scott City shut out the Eagles on the football field 50-0 on Aug. 24.
Starting at Valley of Caledonia on Tuesday after the Leader deadline, the Eagles are on the road for four straight matches.
Owls hope to build on late-season momentum
The Windsor volleyball team was always the bridesmaid and never the bride last year, finishing as the consolation champion in every tournament it played in.
The Owls were mired in a 0-8-1 stretch early last season before turning it around to finish 13-16-3. Windsor was ousted by Park Hills Central in the first round of the Class 3 District 2 playoffs and the Owls are seeking their first district championship since 2013.
Leading Windsor this season are two returning all-conference selections. Junior setter Taylor Duncan (first team) had 511 assists and led the Owls with 36 aces last year. Junior libero Ally Moore (second team) is a three-year starter like Duncan and she scooped up 426 digs last fall.
Kennedy Detmer, a junior, is a defensive specialist. She had 173 digs last year. The Owls are talented, but depth is an issue with just seven full-time varsity members. Senior Samantha Sabatino is a right side hitter, senior McKenna Brown plays middle hitter, junior Abby Bailey is in the middle and junior Alyssa Vaughn is on the outside.
Brown and Bailey should be significant forces in the middle offensively and as blockers. Sabatino provides a defensive spark and consistency on the right side. Vaughn and newcomer Sydnie Kube, a sophomore, and sophomore Lidiya Sokolic also will bid for court time. Freshman Bailey Benoist has a good arm swing.
Windsor lost in straight sets at Park Hills Central on Aug. 27 and is 4-2-2 early on. The Owls swung back into action Wednesday at Ste. Genevieve, after the Leader deadline.
“With seven returners and another year of experience under our belts, I hope this season will be significantly better than last year,” Dueker said. “We are small in height and in number, but our skills are more polished and we have another year of maturity. I hope we will compete with everyone on our schedule and progress throughout the season.”