AREA HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL TEAMS ARE SET, NOW... IT'S TIME TO SPIKE

It's that time of year -- dawning of a new high school volleyball season.

The young ladies who play are filled with the anxious anticipation of real game competition. The coaches, new and veteran, are brimming with optimism, even though much of that optimism is of the "cautious" variety.

Who will rise? Who will fall? Who will surprise?

All are questions that will begin to be answered in the next few days as area volleyball teams "serve it up" in their opening games.

Here's a preview of 18 local teams, each with clean slates and high hopes.

Cape Central

The stability gained through coaching continuity has been absent recently in the Central program. Heidi Knaak enters the 2000 season as the third coach in three years.

Knaak admits the program has been down (7-19-1 record in 1999), but she expects to see improvement.

"Everyone has been working extremely hard and I expect to see a better won-lost record than we had last year," said Knaak.

The Lady Tigers will be, primarily, a senior-dominated team, with Sarah Brown (played in Europe this summer), Mandy Blattner, Gabe Bragg, Allison Eaton, Shannon Fee and Amy Marchbanks.

Juniors Hanna Griesemer, Jessica Layman and Emily McElreath will be relied on to supply depth.

Freshman Chelsey Oliver, a talented newcomer, may see some varsity action.

Central opens the season Tuesday, hosting Bloomfield.

Notre Dame

Coach Helen Payne, in the second year of her second tour of duty with the Lady Bulldogs, is optimistic about this year's squad.

Payne last coached at Notre Dame in '95 before returning in '99 to lead the team to a 10-15-1 record.

Buoyed by the addition of several strong players from last year's JV squad which compiled an 18-3 record, team goals for the Class 2A Lady Bulldogs include challenging for their district title.

Returning starters are seniors Lynne Obermiller (all-district '99), Katie Canfield, Vanessa Landewee, and junior Jennifer VanGennip.

They will be joined by juniors Courtney Vickery, Layne Strattman, Meredith LeGrand, Emily Worley and Libby Buessink.

Two sophomores figure to be key players as Ali Tyson and Ashley Millham will be counted on as starters.

"We have a lot of potential in this group," said Payne, "but right now we're a little inconsistent. One day we look like we can beat anyone and the next (day) like anyone could beat us."

The Lady Bulldogs open the season Tuesday in the Woodland Tournament, playing Woodland and Leopold in pool play.

Jackson

Opening the season with their top player, Andrea Koeper, recuperating from ACL knee surgery, expectations still run high for the Lady Indians, who went 25-8-1 last year.

Koeper (all-conference, all-district, and all-region) suffered a torn ACL playing basketball and is not expected back for at least another month.

Nancy Ellis, fifth-year coach, still has high hopes for her team.

"We're young, but very talented," said Ellis. "We have a compliment of strong hitters and as we begin to blend as a team, I expect improvement in the passing game. We should just get better as the season progresses."

Other returning starters are sophomores Jennifer Mesey (all-conference and all-district as a freshman) and Jenna Leet, and junior Erin Hartmann.

Three sophomores; Jessica Koeper, Cailin Bricknell and Courtney Vance, are slated to start for the Lady Indians. Rounding out the roster are senior defensive specialists Kendra Hinkebein and Katie Baker, along with junior Denae Nagel.

Another injury, a torn ACL to Kacie Crites, further depletes the Lady Indians' depth. She may be lost for the entire season.

Refusing to label this a rebuilding year, Ellis says, "Despite our youth, three of the sophomores who will be on the floor gained a lot of valuable experience last year."

Jackson opens the season Tuesday at St. Vincent.

Scott City

Returning three all-district performers, losing only one starter to graduation and coming off a second-place 2A district finish has coach Barbara Ice feeling pretty warm about her team.

"We have improved tremendously during my time here and I believe we will continue to improve on our won-lost record this year," said Ice.

The Lady Rams posted a 10-12-3 record in '99.

Senior Lindsey Baker, junior Mindy Miller, and sophomore Sidney Baer are coming off all-district seasons. They will be joined by senior Jessica Arnzen, junior Kyla Smith and sophomores Rachel Spinks and Amanda O'Brien, all of whom recorded significant playing time in '99.

Two players, seniors Ashley Wiggins and Pam Page, who were injured for all or most of last season, also return and should add depth to the team.

The Lady Rams host Charleston Tuesday in their season opener.

Chaffee

With five returning starters, the Lady Red Devils hope to improve on their 7-14-2 record in '99.

The squad, dominated with upperclassmen, is described by coach Paulette Crouthers as the best, attitude-wise, in the four years she's been with the program.

"These girls are in harmony on and off the court," said Crouthers, "and all of them are very hard workers. I expect us to be a very solid defensive team."

The returning starters are seniors Morgan Kiefer, Brook McFerron, Courtney Loucks and Ashlie Smith, along with junior Jennifer Vandeven.

Rounding out the squad are senior Ashlie Pepple and juniors Megan McFerron, April Stafford and Shea Smith.

Chaffee opens the season Thursday at home against Oran.

Perryville

Associated with volleyball in the Perryville school district for the past seven years, Amy Birk makes her debut as head coach of the Lady Pirates.

Previously a junior high and high school assistant coach, Birk expects a winning record from her team, which went 9-17-1 in '99.

"We will provide strong competition for anyone," said Birk. "We have a good group, hard workers with great attitudes."

Returning for the Lady Pirates will be seniors Natalie Bohnert, who received all-conference and all-district recognition, and Andrea Buerck (all-conference honorable mention). Top subs who will likely fill starting roles will be senior Crystal Thieret and junior Katie Kutz.

Other players expected to contribute are juniors Rachel Wunderlich, Cindy Rhyne, and Amy Garris. JV standout sophomore Emily Amberger may well move onto the varsity roster before the season ends.

Perryville opens the season Thursday against Birk's alma mater, Ste. Genevieve.

St. Vincent

Playing a tough schedule against several larger schools is viewed as a plus by the Squaws first-year coach, Louise Wibbenmeyer.

Coming off a 9-18-2 season, the Class 1A Squaws compete in the tough Jefferson County Conference.

"Competing against some quality, larger schools can only make us better at tournament time," said Wibbenmeyer.

Returning starters include two senior all-conference honorable mention selectees, Stacie Lane and Danielle Sutterer. Junior outside hitter Becky Kirn is the other returning starter.

Junior Megan Moll and sophomores Chelsey Brown and Beth Hennemann are being counted on for yeoman work on the front row.

Senior Amie Richardet, along with juniors Amy Wengert, Mindy Cattoor, and Bridgette Prost, are the defensive specialists.

The quick, athletic Squaws have been stressing discipline and good work habits in preseason practice sessions.

"We're not very big, but we're relentless," added Wibbenmeyer. "I don't expect this team to ever quit."

St. Vincent, true to the tough schedule theme, opens against perennial powerhouse Jackson at home Tuesday.

Advance

Entering her second season as coach of the Lady Hornets, Kimberly Aggertt is breaking new ground. She is the first coach to stay for a second season in the past five years at Advance.

"The girls are really happy that they have a familiar face as coach this year," said Aggertt.

Coming off a 5-20 record, the Lady Hornets' goal is to reach the .500 level and see consistent growth in the program.

The nine-player squad includes two returning senior starters in Amber Bond (all-conference) and Emily Johnson.

Three freshmen will be expected to grow up rather quickly. Dana Williams and Nicole Tropf, both six-footers, and Abby Winchester will be starters for the Lady Hornets.

Junior Jessica Cato rounds out the starting six. Senior Michelle Laird and juniors Shelby Becker and Eva Zych will provide help off the bench.

Advance opens the season Thursday at Puxico.

Bell City

Recently retired after a career in teaching, coaching and administration, Carl Ritter will continue to coach the Lady Cubs.

Ritter, who coached the '96 team to a state title, said he enjoys the interaction with the young athletes.

"This year's team is young, but talented with a good attitude," said Ritter, whose squad was 14-12-2 last year. "I expect them to just get better as the season progresses."

Junior all-conference performer Katie Spears (two-year starter) is joined by two other returnees, seniors Brooke Stephens (three-year starter) and Ashley Painton.

After those three, the team really becomes young. The key position of setter will be filled by freshman Whitney Abner. Sophomore Erin Dissler and freshmen Katie Goodman and Sarah Metcalf will be relied on to contribute heavily to the team's success.

Rounding out the squad are two defensive specialists, senior Bridgette Bollinger and junior Amanda Bailey.

Bell City opens the season Tuesday in the Woodland Tournament, playing Leopold and Zalma in pool play.

Charleston

As a relatively young program (fifth year) coming off a 7-14 season, first-year coach Scott Crabtree's team is still in the building stage.

He expects to see continued improvement in both performance and consistency.

"I want them to learn and, at the same time, have fun," said Crabtree.

The Lady Jays do have some experience with eight seniors and four juniors who had playing time last year.

Senior leadership will come from Amy Simmons, Carla Hunter, Leia Ponder, Kari Barnhart, Mary Hobbs, Sarah Deunne, Rachel Rowe and Maggie Stevenson.

Returning juniors are Tess Hobbs, Julie Deunne, Amanda Medlock and Alana Coon.

Freshman Angela Clark is expected to see plenty of varsity action and her coach believes she has a bright future.

The Lady Jays open the season Tuesday at Scott City.

Fredericktown

In his sixth year as coach, Kevin Coffman expects the Lady Cats (18-9 in '99, second-place conference finish) to be as good, if not better, than last year's team.

"We are in a very tough conference and I expect all the teams to be improved," said Coffman. "Farmington is the preseason pick, but I don't think anyone will go undefeated in the conference and the race should be wide open."

The Lady Cats will be led by juniors Nickey Tucker and Megan Leonard, both all-conference and all-district selections last year.

Senior leadership will be provided by Tesson Kemp, Amy Moyers and Sara McFarland.

Major contributions are expected from juniors Ashley Ward, Jennifer Huff, Megan Brown and Kim Simmons, along with sophomore Kristin Moyers.

Coffman describes his team as gritty.

"We're going to be scrappy, always attacking the defense," said Coffman.

Fredericktown opens the season at Herculaneum Tuesday.

Leopold

With a tradition of fielding solid teams and a recent 1A state championship on her resume, Lady Wildcats' coach Leanne Huffman calls this a rebuilding year for her young squad.

Last year, Leopold saw a stellar 24-6, district title season end with a sectional loss to eventual state champion Bernie.

Four mainstays were lost to graduation, including three-time all-stater Sarah Gowen, who is continuing her career at East Central College.

Expectations are always high for Leopold, but somewhat tempered this year by youth and inexperience. That is not to say that the current crop of players is not talented.

"We've got some talent here, we just haven't played together much as a team," said Huffman. "Competition for positions is very strong. Many won't be determined until after the final week of practice."

Returning starters include junior all-district choice Kyla Horrell and sophomore Holly Jansen, an all-conference selection as a freshman.

Rounding out the squad are seniors Laura Jansen, Nikki Seiler, Jessica Bollinger, Ashley Jansen and Jodi VanGennip; juniors Jennifer Brotherton, Deanna Engelen, Lainey Engelen and Melissa Thele; sophomore Courtney Wesbecher; and freshman Wendy Vandeven.

Leopold opens the season Tuesday in the Woodland Tournament, facing Bell City and Notre Dame in pool play.

Marquand

Ed Ikemeier, a coaching veteran, has seen his share of teams and he likes what he sees in this year's Lady Tiger squad.

Coming off a 3-17 season, Ikemeier expects his team to be much stronger and predicts a top three finish in the conference.

"This group has a fantastic attitude, great togetherness and works extremely hard," said Ikemeier. "We're not very tall, but we're scrappy and we won't let many balls hit the floor."

Returning starters include all-conference selections Heather Hansmann (senior) and Michelle Poe (sophomore), who is described by her coach as "exciting to watch". Senior Katy Mills and sophomore Katie Stroup also started for the Lady Tigers in '99.

Rounding out the eight-player squad are seniors Melinda Menendez and Tina Robbins, junior April Gibson and sophomore Terri Moyers.

Marquand opens the season Tuesday, hosting Kingston.

Meadow Heights

Riding a tradition of success on the volleyball court, the Lady Panthers again feature some impressive physical talent.

"We must improve our mental maturity to reach our peak," said Erin Hoffman, third-year coach. "I felt that we were too timid at times last year, but we were also very young, playing a lot of sophomores."

Three of those sophomores received all-conference and all-district recognition at season's end. They are Jami Fulton, Holly Boyd and Ashley Brune.

Seniors Emily Heitman (all-conference second team), Lisa Jones and Jessica Bollinger will be expected to make significant contributions. Bollinger is a transfer from Woodland, where she started last year.

Juniors Jamie Heitman, Tessa Bollinger, Hanna James and Maria Ferguson were starters on the 19-1 JV team.

The Lady Panthers, 17-7 in 99, want to get back to a 20-win record and advance in the district tournament beyond their semifinal exit of last season.

Meadow Heights plays its first match Sept. 5 at Marquand.

Oak Ridge

Showing steady improvement under the guidance of Pam Kutz, expectations are high at Oak Ridge.

After going 4-20 in her first year as coach, the Lady Blue Jays improved to 8-16 last year and only lost two players to graduation.

"We have some talented girls here and we are working hard to learn to play as a team," said Kutz. "Most of the seniors have been together for three years now and the work ethic of this team is exceptional. They stay after practice, working on passing and hitting."

Four seniors, led by all-conference and all-district selection Deanna Schreiner, will be counted on to provide leadership and cohesiveness. The other seniors are Allison Miles, Erin Pavelka and Julie Myers.

Rounding out the squad are juniors Jenny Hrabik and Candace Schaper, along with sophomore Laura Glueck.

The Lady Blue Jays open the season at St. Vincent Sept. 5.

Oran

Tonya Skinner's Lady Eagles showed marked improvement from three wins in '98 to a 10-14-2 record in '99, her first year as coach.

But the loss by graduation of two of the top players in the area won't make the task of improving in 2000 an easy one. Sara Heisserer (all-district) and Mistie Senciboy each received scholarships to continue their careers at Three Rivers Community College.

Depth will also be an issue, as the Lady Eagles have only eight players on their varsity roster.

Senior returnees expected to lead this team are Stacey Eftink and Rebecca Trankler. Seniors Jenny Lange, Carrie Mosebach and Kara Kyle, along with juniors Ashley Dirnberger, Maria Eftink and Anilise Lange, will all be counted on to make strong contributions to the short-handed squad.

"This is the first group I worked with here as an assistant coaching the JV team," Skinner said. "They work very hard."

The Lady Eagles recorded their first-ever district win last year before bowing to eventual Class 1A state champ Bernie. A team goal is to return to the districts and have a rematch with powerful Bernie.

Oran opens the season at Chaffee Thursday.

Woodland

The Lady Cardinals, 26-7 in '99, appear to be solid once again. They have taken a fourth and a third-place trophy at the Class 2A state tournament the past two years.

Emily Johnson, who took over the reins for part of the '98 season and all of '99, again leads the Woodland squad.

When asked about team goals in relation to the accomplishments of recent teams, Johnson responded, "We have high expectations, but we don't want to look too far ahead. We're taking it one step at a time."

Three excellent players were lost to graduation: all-stater Sarah Booth, all-region Lilo Whitener and Julia Cutsinger. Booth and Whitener are continuing their careers at Missouri Baptist College on volleyball scholarships.

In spite of those losses, Johnson feels good about the talent, attitude and experience of this year's team.

Returning starters include junior all-conference selection Danyel Farrell and senior Amanda Jordan, who will be relied on to provide team leadership.

Five other seniors, all with varsity playing time under their belts, will be counted on to make big contributions. They are Ashley Allmon, Leah Dowd, Ashley Aker, Karrie Filer and Melinda Jackson.

Juniors expected to get playing time are Bianca Martin, Jenni Jackson, Sarah Devenport, Emily Davis and Lacy Roberts.

Kelly Reed, a junior transfer from Florida, is also expected to see significant playing time.

Woodland opens the season Tuesday in its own tournament, facing Notre Dame in pool play.

Zalma

Zalma, with five starters returning, hopes to improve upon last year's 12-15 record and second-place district finish.

The 2000 squad will be led by three seniors with all-district and all-conference credentials: Carrie Pixley, Erika Campbell and Amber Buehler. Rounding out the returning starters are junior Mary Kay Hovis and sophomore Selena Slaughter.

"Our goal, teamwise, is to play consistently throughout the season," said sixth-year coach Shannon Garner. "In the past, we have started well and finished well, but seemed to have a mid-season lull."

Garner likes his team's experience, but wishes he had more depth in the hitting area. He expects the Lady Bulldogs to be much improved defensively.

Zalma opens the season Tuesday in the Woodland tournament, taking on Bell City in pool play.