Semoball

Juniors leading Bell City VB in season that 'is better than it has ever been'

Bell City junior hitter Eliana Bowling rises for a spike against Puxico on Monday at Bell City High School.
Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

Bell City volleyball notched its 14th victory in 16 matches on Monday with a very competitive 25-22, 25-21, 25-14 win over Puxico in Bell City.

The Cubs’ 14-1-1 start is its best in over 13 seasons, which is as far back as MSHSAA has records for the program, and the Cubs’ are doing this on the foundation laid by a talented junior class of seven players who are leading the program.

“I always make sure to ask (the juniors) questions,” Bell City freshman Karlie Beninati said following the win. “They show me so much leadership. They show me where to go and they are so responsive to that.

“I love playing with them.”

The class is led by hitters Maddi Asher and Elianna Bowling, setter Madison Jines, hitter Lindsey Wondel, Rylee Daniels, back row player Maggie Stubenrauch, and Kamryn Stubenrauch.

“We definitely have a lot of chemistry,” Bowling said, “but this year, we’re just on a roll. It’s better than it has ever been.”

Aside from a 3-1 loss at Bernie and a 1-1 tie against Grandview in the recent Dig For Life event, the Cubs have been unstoppable.

“We beat Advance,” Bowling continued, “that says something.”

In that Dig For Life tournament, Bell City topped Scott City in two sets to win the Black Division Gold bracket, and on Monday, withstood numerous runs made by the feisty Indians.

“I think that our drive is really making this year more special than it has been,” Bowling said.

Monday’s match was a microcosm of where the team is right now, as it tries to figure out how to succeed without the services of Asher, who is normally a team leader along the net.

Asher landed on her foot wrong in a recent match and has been out with the injury for a week. She is trying to rest the injury and see how it progresses.

“Maddie is our court leader,” second-year Cub coach Lori Meyer said earlier this season. “She reads the floor well. She already has a good grasp of the knowledge on how to play the game at a higher level.”

Bowling, Wondel, and freshman Molly Yarbrough were having to battle the length of Puxico sophomores Laney Porter and Hannah Wilson all night on Monday and were more than solid in doing so.

In the case of Bowling, she brings athleticism, as well as a 6-foot frame and long reach.

“Eliana is long and lengthy,” Meyer said. “She sets up a good block and has such a great reach. She is hard for the other team to go around those blocks.”

Meyer has switched to a 5-1 system this fall, which allows for Jines to be the primary setter, which delivers more consistency to the Cub hitters.

“To be able to run a higher offense,” Meyer explained, “you need to have the sets. And the sets have to be perfect in a certain position along the net and at a certain height. When you have two setters, you have a different setting ability and a different setting tempo.

“If you run one setter, you get that same tempo for every hitter.”

A win tonight at Leopold will clinch Bell City’s second consecutive winning season following five consecutive losing seasons. Bowling and Beninati both credited Meyer, who it's not happenstance is in her second season of leading the program.

“Definitely our coach,” Benanati said of why Bell City is having such a special season.

“We like her,” Bowling added on Meyer. “She has good points to make, all of the time. She just wants to lift us up and tell us to do the right things.”

Bell City will face Leopold tonight (6 p.m.) and host Dexter on Thursday (6 p.m.).

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