Advance VB looks like Advance VB in season-opening sweep vs. Bernie

ADVANCE – The Advance High School volleyball program has created this situation for itself.

The Hornets have won 152 matches and four MSHSAA Class 1 state championships over the past five years, so the expectation level for Erin Hoffman’s girls is sky-high.

The opening night of the 2023 regular season didn’t do anything to dampen the enthusiasm around the program.

Advance looked dominant in sweeping a very solid Bernie program 25-9, 25-13, 25-14 on Monday at Advance High School.

“I feel like our set distribution is really good,” veteran Advance coach Erin Hoffman said afterward. “We have a lot more weapons this year. A lot more options.”

That ain’t good for the rest of Missouri.

The Mules, who have strung together 13 consecutive winning seasons, were competitive early in each of the sets.

In the opening set, Bernie battled Advance to an 8-7 score and still trailed just 11-9 moments later. However, Hornet junior Addi Carlton began to serve and ran off 14 consecutive points to win the set.

“This team is really good about being good teammates,” Bernie coach Rachel Vernon said. “But we have to work on our mental toughness.”

Not being able to slow the Hornets’ positivity, once it got going, was an ongoing theme for the Mules (1-1), who opened their season by beating Richland (Essex) 3-0 on Friday.

In the second set, Bernie had the set tied at seven on an ace by sophomore Blair Pleimling, and the Mules still were competing when the set was tied at 10. However, a Mule miscue gave Advance a point and the floodgates opened once again.

A 16-12 Hornet lead stretched to 19-12, and when her team committed another error, giving the hosts a 20-12 margin, Vernon called a timeout.

“We’re a really young team,” Vernon said of her 27 players in the program, 16 of whom are freshmen and sophomores. “I have a lot of sophomores and juniors on the court.”

In the clinching set, Bernie had the match tied at two, before Advance built leads of 7-3 and 11-5, which prompted another Mule timeout.

“It allows us to take a little bit of pressure off of some players,” Hoffman said of her team’s versatility. “We have more players who can do things.”

The Mules managed to score three of the next nine points but still trailed 17-8.

With the match on the line, Hornet senior Abby Kennedy smoked a kill for a 24-15 Hornet advantage, and a Bernie error ended the night.

“This is a completely different team,” Hoffman said of the 2023 team, as compared to the 2022 state champions. “We’re a different group. I have players in different positions than last year.

“It’s just a whole new year.”

Advance will host Richland (Essex) (0-1) tonight at 7 p.m. before hosting Saxony Lutheran on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

In the match against the Crusaders, the 2022 Hornet state championship squad will be recognized and receive their MSHSAA state championship rings.

Bernie will visit Sikeston tonight at 6:30 p.m.