Volleyball

ORAN, Mo. — A strong senior class returns to the court for the Oran volleyball team this fall. Kaylee Payne, Savannah Below, and Paige Bradley headline the class, while Heather Gosche and Sonya Whitmore round it out. Kennedi McVay returns as the lone junior...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. — East Prairie High School fields a volleyball team for the first time in the school’s history, starting this season. As the first head coach of the program, Kelle Goodding said that her team would be competitive right from the start...

CHARLESTON, Mo. — Incoming head coach, Lenzi O’Connor’s first Charleston Lady Bluejays team, will be one filled with underclassmen. Five of the 14 players on the team are upperclassmen. Nicole Hart, Keona O’Neal, and Kania Wiley are seniors, while Joriana Mixon and Mistavia Murray are the juniors...

The Southland Rebels volleyball program enters the 2019 season looking to develop its underclassmen. Southland, which is coming off an 11-9-1 campaign at the varsity level last season, has six freshmen, one sophomore, and one senior on its high school roster...

NEW MADRID, Mo. — Nearly 66 percent of the New Madrid County Central volleyball team is made up of underclassmen this season. Along with new head coach Taylor Dace, the Lady Eagles are looking for their first winning season in two years, but know that challenges are bound to arise...

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. — After 10 seasons with the Portageville volleyball program, Barry Branscum will not be at the helm of the team starting this season. Instead, it will be former player Sasha Starnes. Understanding the program, and the game, in general, is a vital asset to have, and for Starnes, it makes her excited to get into coaching for the first time. Nonetheless, at the school, where she played...

SIKESTON — Emily Pullen takes over the Sikeston volleyball program this season — the third coach since the program started. After 19 seasons on the sidelines, Steve Beydler retired after last season. Going into her first season, Pullen said that she is looking for her team to work hard and learn, despite what the result on the scoreboard is...

Senath-Hornersville volleyball coach Alex Glover has few complaints about her players’ work ethic as they prepare for the start of the 2019 season. “They play super hard,” Glover said. “I honestly couldn’t ask for a harder-working team. They always come ready to practice.”...

ELLINGTON — The Lady Whippets’ growth is not to be underestimated. Ellington played four freshmen on last year’s varsity volleyball team. Through the first month of the season the young roster, which had one senior, was 7-11. Then the Whippets went 6-2 in October to finish the season 13-13, the program’s best season in a decade and nearly doubling their win totals from the prior year...

Mackenzie Stoner has emerged throughout her volleyball career at Jackson as a leader on the court. “She is a captain for us, which means she is an exceptional leader,” Indian coach Dave Mirly said. As it turns out, Stoner can also lead OFF the court.

BROSELEY — Last year’s Twin Rivers volleyball season was ... not the best. The Royals had to practice and play all 26 games on the road after water buckled the gym floor during the first week of school, forcing it to be replaced. The Royals practiced and played home games at Fisk, but only after poles were installed...

The pieces appear to be in place for a big year for the Clarkton Reindeer varsity volleyball squad. Clarkton returns nearly all of its players off of last season’s varsity squad that finished 21-11-1. “We only graduated one player and she was injured last season so we’ve pretty much got our same varsity players back again,” longtime Clarkton volleyball coach Amy Cowart said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do this fall. It should be a fun season"...

"A bruise is a badge of honor," or that's what Coach Dave Mirly would have his student-athletes believe. Mirly begins his third season at the helm of the Jackson volleyball team Sept. 3 as the Indians host St. Vincent and his athletes have a target on their backs...

Coach Christine Luedecke is very excited for the upcoming season, “We have Keara Johnson returning for her senior year,” she said. “She plans to play college volleyball next year. Adi Young returns as one of our setters and we are adding Laticia Hamilton to the mix as our second setter. ...

The Southeast Missourian has previewed the following high school girls volleyball teams for the 2019 season.

Participation is sky-high for the Campbell Camels volleyball program coming off its strongest season in recent history last year. “We’ve got more than 20 out for volleyball this season,” Campbell fourth-year volleyball coach Gentry Vancil said. “Right now we are looking at nine playing on varsity and 12 on junior varsity. “We’ve got a lot to live up to because we’ve got a lot of good girls returning."...

The Holcomb Hornets volleyball program is blessed with experience entering the 2019 season. Holcomb has three seniors and five juniors on its varsity roster. Five of the eight players saw significant playing time on last season’s varsity squad that finished 10-16-4 and won Class 1, District 1...

PIEDMONT — When the current seniors were freshman, the volleyball team wasn’t great. Clearwater won three matches that season, and just eight individual sets. But every year has gotten incrementally better and the Tigers have a chance for their first winning season since 2014...

The two-time defending district champion Malden Green Wave volleyball program enters the 2019 season looking to adopt a new style of play after graduating most of its power hitters. “We are a totally different team this season,” Malden coach Brittany Crane said. ...

Volleyball schedules are set for Dunklin County volleyball squads. Senath-Hornersville, Holcomb, and Southland open their season Aug. 30. Holcomb visits Southland Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. Senath-Hornersville visits North Pemiscot Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. Campbell, Kennett, Clarkton, and Malden play their first game Sept. 3. Campbell visits Kennett Sept. 3 at 6 p.m., Clarkton hosts Cooter Sept. 3 at 6 p.m., and Malden hosts Hayti Sept. 3 at 6 p.m...

SIKESTON — Every summer, coaching changes tend to occur. In the area, there will be multiple new faces on the sidelines for their respective programs. At Sikeston, Terry Flannigan returns to the Bulldogs football team, after his previous stint at Chaffee. He replaces Kent Gibbs who, after 12 years with Sikeston, heads to Cape Central...

What I learned from living the initial 52 years of my life in the state of Indiana was that Hoosiers are passionate about three things: religion, farming, and sports. And depending on the time of year and whether the Indiana University men’s basketball team is underachieving or not, the order of those things could fluctuate.

Olivia Ward isn’t a complicated young lady. That isn’t to say she isn’t busy, but the Jackson High School junior keeps her focus on what is important in life and isn’t easily distracted from those priorities.

Two proposals passed at the 2019 Missouri High School Activities Association Election in May will alter the postseason playoff field for local high schools in the Missouri Bootheel beginning in the 2020-21 school year.

Holcomb native Matt Casper had an immediate interest in becoming the new varsity volleyball coach at his high school when he learned the position would be available for the 2019-20 school year. “I expressed interest last year of potentially taking over the program, knowing Mrs. Jones was going to retire,” Casper said. “I was able to help out in some practices last year and enjoyed it.”...

Nate Hulshof and Chase Logel both shot a 9-over-par 81 to earn co-medalist honors and lead Notre Dame boys golf to the team title at the Ste. Genevieve Dragon Invitational in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. DJ Lynch also finished in the top 10 for the Bulldogs, carding an 85...

The Notre Dame girls track and field team won first place in five events to claim the team championship of the 45th annual All Catholic Invitational on Saturday at Chaminade College Preparatory High School in the suburban St. Louis area. Riley Burger accounted for three of those victories for the Bulldogs, who finished 15 points ahead of Cor Jesu Academy in the final team standings at the meet that featured 25 private school teams among both gender divisions. ...

Natalie Miller scored a goal and had one assist as the Indians picked up their second win in the 18th Annual Parkway College Showcase at the Lou Fusz Soccer Complex in the suburban St. Louis area. Abby Klund and Mik Liley sank the other goals for Jackson (4-0) while Grace Crowden and Olivia Ward had one assist apiece...

Paul Scherer and A.J. Stroup slammed seven kills apiece to lead the Notre Dame boys volleyball team to a 25-16, 27-25 sweep of host Oakville in the suburban St. Louis area. John Scherer contributed six kills for Notre Dame (4-2). Jamie Barnes dished out 22 assists for the Bulldogs while Tanner Peters tallied eight digs and Kennedy Mansfield notched seven digs...

Spring. A time when flowers blooms, rain falls in copious amounts and new high school sports seasons begin. Basketball is a thing of the past, at least until November. The focus turns to outdoor activities with baseball, softball, track and field, boys tennis and golf and girls soccer, now underway. Can't forget the Notre Dame boys volleyball team, either...

The Chaffee baseball team collected a pair of victories on Saturday to clinch the championship of its round-robin tournament. The Red Devils downed Meadow Heights 3-0 in its first game of the day and then trounced Anna-Jonesboro, Ill., 11-2 to improve to 3-0 on the season and win the title...

SIKESTON — Sikeston announced the Academic All-State nominees for fall sports at halftime of Thursday’s boys’ basketball game, at the Sikeston Field House. 22 student-athletes earned the honor from four different sports. To become an Academic All-State nominee, recipients need to uphold a cumulative unweighted grade point average of at least 3.50 and participate in 70 percent of the team’s games...

In a few days, basketball postseason begins for teams across Missouri, but for an hour Wednesday afternoon, the focus was back on fall sports. In a live one-hour radio show on SEMO ESPN, 55 student-athletes were announced as fall sports finalists for the 2019 Semoball Awards...

List of college signees in the Southeast Missourian coverage area that were submitted to the newspaper

South Pemiscot High School volleyball standout Elizabeth Gray signed a letter of intent to accept a volleyball scholarship with Williams Baptist University Jan. 31. With family, friends, and coaches on hand to witness the signing at the South Pemiscot gymnasium lobby, Gray put ink to paper to make her commitment to WBU official...

When the Advance volleyball team needed a point, Addie Curtis knew whom to turn to. Roz Schrader often towered over the Hornets' opponents, standing at 5-foot-11, and her powerful, well-placed hits proved near impossible for opponents to stop. The junior midde hitter averaged 5.1 kills per set, finishing with 297 on the season, and was incredibly efficient with a .482 hitting percentage...

Get to know the 12 members of the All-Southeast Missourian volleyball team

It was quite a successful fall sports season in the Southeast Missouri area. The Advance volleyball team won its first-ever state championship, and Jackson football finished the regular season undefeated for the first time in over a decade before falling in the quarterfinals to the eventual Class 5 state champions...

The 2018 Bootheel Conference all-conference volleyball team has been released. Malden’s Gracie Thomas is the 2018 Bootheel Conference Player of the Year. Thomas recorded 87 blocks, 180 kills and had 19 ace serves for the Green Wave. “She has been a key player in our success here at Malden,” Malden coach Brittany Crane said. ...

Before the season began, Erin Hoffman had a plan. The past two years the Advance volleyball coach had seen her team fall in the state sectional round, so going into the 2018 campaign, Hoffman wanted a multitude of attacking options she could rely upon...

It was a combination that had worked all season, and with a state championship on the line, Advance volleyball turned to it once more. Senior Addie Curtis set the ball, Roz Schrader jumped above the net and the Hornets bench rose to their feet in anticipation. Schrader smacked the ball off the outstretched fingers of the Calvary Lutheran block and onto the other side of the court...

It wasn't the best start, but that didn't matter. The Advance volleyball team won its opening set by the thinnest of margins —two points — and then proceeded to win each of the next five sets by five points or more to go a perfect 6-0 in pool play at the Class 1 final four Friday morning at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- It took Addie Curtis all of two practices to figure out this Advance volleyball team was special. That's when the senior setter came home with a simple message for her parents: the Hornets were going to the final four. It didn't matter that Advance hadn't gone to state since 1983 or that the last two seasons had ended at the sectional round...

The Eagle Ridge Christian School volleyball team poses for a photo Saturday in Joplin, Missouri, after winning its third consecutive state championship. The Eagles won the Missouri Christian Schools Athletic Association Division 3 state title. It's the fourth championship in program history. Eagle Ridge also won an MCSAA state championship in 2014...

HOLCOMB, Mo. -- Advance volleyball coach Erin Hoffman entered Saturday's Class 1 state playoff matches a bit nervous. For the Hornets to reach the final four, they had to beat two teams for a third time this season. Turns out, she had nothing to worry about...

MALDEN — The Arcadia Valley volleyball team set some lofty goals in the preseason. The Bloomfield Wildcats weren’t sure what to expect in the upcoming season. The Tigers achieved one of their goals Saturday night, beating Bloomfield 25-15, 25-14 in a Class 2 quarterfinal at Malden High School...

HOLCOMB, Mo. - The host Holcomb Hornets finally found its offensive rhythm midway into the second set but was unable to keep things going long enough to take a set from the Bernie Mules in a Class 1 sectional Saturday. Bernie scored 14 of the final 19 points to edge Holcomb by six points in the second set and take the playoff 25-6, 25-19...

STEELE, Mo. - It took a couple extra points but the Holcomb Hornets volleyball program managed to escape with its first district title in a decade Thursday night. Holcomb broke a 25-25 tie in a decisive third set when sophomore Macy Houart and senior Carli Morgan collected back-to-back kills. The clutch offensive execution propelled No. 3 seeded Holcomb past the No. 5 seeded South Pemiscot Bulldogs 17-25, 25-15, 27-25 in the Class 1, District 1 championship at South Pemiscot High School...

MALDEN, Mo. — Struggling to take control of Malden at different points in the match, the New Madrid County Central volleyball team’s season came to a close on Tuesday, in the Class 2, District 1 Tournament, at Malden High School. The Eagles made it very interesting in both sets though...