Fair Grove Volleyball Serves Into a New Year

After an impressive 29-9 season and a trip to the final four, Fair Grove volleyball is looking to get right back from where they left off. The Lady Eagles  have been working hard in practice for quite sometime now, and they are ready to see their hard work pay off. “After coming off a final four season it’s hard not to set a goal to go back,” says head coach Tonya Peck. Their first stop on the road to the final four is winning conference, then Districts. Teams know that it takes hard work to make it back to the final four, but with hard work and dedication anything is possible.

Fair Grove played their first game of the season against  Clever on August 29th: it was a close game going into 3 sets but Fair Grove pulled it out in the end, winning the final set, 25 to 18.  “ Well, we had moments, the first game was pretty good, and then the 3rd game like about the last 8 points they really picked it up and started playing” says coach Peck.

The Lady Eagles would then head out to the Ash Grove tournament on September 6th, a tournament they have won five years in a row, The girls again wouldn’t disappoint, going 5-0 in the tournament, while increasing the  streak to six years in a row Victoria Fishback (10) adds “I thought we did very well and improved as a team.” The girls would start of playing Monett, going into 2 sets winning both of them 25-15 and 25-17, Billings, winning 2 sets in a row 25-20 and 25-17, Miller, winning 2 sets in a row 25-16 and 25-18, Pierce City, winning 2 sets in a row 25-10 and 25-18, Summit, going into 3 sets 25-10, 15-25 and 25-23, and beating Ash Grove to take the championships in 2 sets 25-15 and 25-23. Keli Oplotnik (11) says, “ I thought we played very well as a team and working together, we gave lots of effort on the court and had lots of fun eating food coach Brannock’s mom made for us”

Coach Peck is looking forward to seeing what the newcomers on varsity can do this year.  The starters, Emily Derrick  (Middle front), Victoria Fishback (left, and right side), Jorden Stacey (all time setter), Haley Stallings (libero), Hallie Merisotes (right front), Lydia Page (left back and middle front), Kelli Oplotnik (left front). “Lydia Page and Hallie Merisotes have really stepped up this year in becoming leaders as the team’s only seniors” says Haley Stallings, along with the other returning varsity players are looking forward to having another good year ahead of them. With high expectations this year Jorden Stacey says  “I’m excited to see what our team can accomplish this year, “I’m hoping to get to the same place we did last year!”

On Tuesday September 16th the girls played Springfield Catholic they went into 2 sets winning both of them 25-10 and 25-22, they also play on Thursday September 18th against Miller, they played two sets winning both of them 25-10 and 25-13 that puts the Fair Grove Lady Eagles at a record of 13-5.