Clarkton volleyball squad blessed with returning talent

Photo by Dustin Ward, staff
Pictured is the Clarkton varsity volleyball team. Members pictured back row left to right are: Janae Sherrod, Emily Shipley, Taylor Earnheart, Keylee Gromer, and Jada Sherrod; pictured front row left to right are: Kayla Gentry, Harley Russell, Raegan Riley, and Janie Lemus.

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".

The Reindeer have two seniors and seven juniors on its varsity roster. Cowart said the players spent significant time in the weight room in the offseason preparing for this fall.

“I had these girls seventh hour in a body conditioning class last year,” she said. “They worked really hard in the weight room three times a week. When they didn’t lift weights they focussed on agility-type activities. Our goal was to get them stronger and faster for this year.”

Seniors on the squad are Kayla Gentry and Janie Lemus.

“Kayla Gentry is a four-year varsity starter that will be one of our big hitters at the net,” Cowart said. “Janie Lemus is a defensive specialist that will play some back row for us.

Joining Lemus and Gentry on varsity are juniors Raegan Riley, Harley Russell, Taylor Earnheart, Keylee Gromer, Janea Sherrod, Emily Shipley, and Jada Sherrod.

Riley is an experienced setter. Clarkton plans to run a 5-1 offense with Riley serving as the primary setter throughout its rotation.

“She’s been a setter since she was in the sixth grade and does a great job running our offense,” Cowart said.

Russell, who is one of the top defensive players on the squad, is projected to be the starting libero.

“She’s small but feisty and loves to play defense,” Cowart said. “She reads the ball well and picks up almost everything. She’s definitely the heart and soul of our defense and the captain of the back row.”

Earnheart is the other starting middle hitter for the Reindeer.

“She’s almost six-foot-tall and has long arms,” Cowart said. “She’s definitely matured over the summer. She is getting to the ball quicker and hitting it harder.”

Janae Sherrod is expected to transition from a back-row player to an outside hitter on varsity.

“Last year she played back row only,” Cowart said. “But she’s worked really hard on her footwork and approach at the net. She’s will definitely add some depth to our offense.”

Gromer, who is coming off an injury-plagued sophomore campaign, will also be an outside hitter.

“She broke her collarbone last season,” Cowart said. “She spent some time in the weight room in the offseason. She’s healthy now and will play all the way around and be a big part of our offense on the outside. She’s also an excellent passer.”

Shipley and Jada Sherrod are expected to split time at the other varsity position. Shipley will be a right-side hitter on the front row with Jada Sherrod taking her place on the floor when she rotates to back row.

“We are going to transition Shipley from an outside hitter to a right-side hitter,” Cowart said. “She hit right side in club season and had some success at it so we are going to allow her to continue playing that spot. She’s about five-eleven and should be able to help us with our blocking. Jada will swap out with Emily and play some back row for us."

Clarkton, which keeps its entire squad together in the offseason on a club ball team, played close to 40 games in the winter months.

“My varsity played eight tournaments,” Cowart said. “They played from January to April. They went as far south as Jonesboro, Arkansas, and as far north as St. Louis.”

Russell feels the extra play has helped the squad learn how to play together.

“Our club ball team will be our same varsity team pretty much,” she said. “I feel like playing club ball is going to help us gel on the court defensively and offensively.”

Riley believes the squad is also playing at a faster pace than last season.

“We’ve sped our offense up,” Riley said. “I feel it will be harder this season for other teams to keep pace. We are hitting the ball harder and with more accuracy now.”

In an effort to ensure the squad is battled-tested Cowart has added two traditional SCAA talents to its regular-season schedule. Clarkton is slated to visit Bernie Sept. 20 and host Bloomfield Oct. 11. Both programs advanced to the state quarterfinals last season.

"We’ve added Bernie and Bloomfield to our schedule,” Cowart said. "It’s exciting to see those squads want to play us.”

Clarkton hopes to find a way to dethrone nine-time defending Tri-County Conference Tournament champion Gideon after finishing runner-up to the traditional talent in last season’s conference tournament.

“Gideon is definitely a contender again in the conference,” Cowart said. “They will be young but have kids that have been playing club ball since sixth grade as well.

“Southland and Holcomb should also be competitive,” Cowart continued. “Southland is always very scrappy and it’s hard to get the ball down against them. Holcomb came out really fired up and beat us last season. I think we should have some pretty good conference battles with Gideon, Holcomb, and Southland.”

Clarkton hosts Cape Central and Twin Rivers in a jamboree Friday at 6 p.m. Its season opener follows when it hosts Cooter Sept. 3 at 6 p.m.

“We are all kind of meshing together and finding our way,” Gentry said. “I’ve played a long time for coach Cowart and I’m hoping to get my name on a banner my senior season. I hope our team grows together and we finish the season strong.”

Photo by Dustin Ward, staff
Pictured is the Clarkton junior varsity volleyball team. Members pictured back row left to right are: Fabiola Rivera, Makenzie Kellum, Madison Davis, Montana Pearson, and Riley Rudkin; pictured front row left to right are: Elvia Day, Julia Lopez, Ivy Martinez, Kaydence Hounihan, and Skyla Matney.

CLARKTON REINDEER VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE