Volleyball Ends a Successful Season

The season has finally ended for the high school volleyball team with a successful season of 29 wins, five losses and  three draws. The season ended October 17th with a close game against Stafford that finished two to one with the final set being 25 to 23 in Stafford’s favor. Coach Tonya Peck says, “We had a great season and were so close to making our goals happen.” The team had defeated Ash Grove and Pleasant Hope in the district tournament prior to the loss. There were 22 players on the team with this being the final season for several seniors such as Amanda Orr, Taylor Bell, and Sierra Anderjaska

This year had several achievements like the varsity team playing in the Licking tournament for the first time and still taking first place against the tough competition. They also were able to overcome and beat several teams including Marshfield, Clever, Willard, and Monett. “Throughout the season, we broke down things in practice to prepare for the specific opponents. We also watched game footage and scouted our opponents. We even did team bonding things to grow closer as a team,” stated Coach Peck. The varsity team did lose to Strafford mid-way through their season, but they persevered afterwards and entered a three game winning streak that ended with a tie against Rolla which was followed by a streak of nine wins until the final game against Strafford again which ended their season.

With this season over, the team is already thinking about the next in regards to improving current players and recruiting underclassmen. “The freshman always show growth each year due to the big different in the speed of play from junior high to high school,” said Coach Peck. Taylor Bell, a senior, had this to say to upcoming volleyball players, “ You should enjoy every moment you have with your teammates because it really does go by fast. You won’t remember most of the games, but you will remember the fun times and relationships you made along the way.”