Dexter hitter tames competitiveness (sort of), joins 'Cat libero on SCAA VB squad

When the 2023 Dexter High School volleyball program opened this past season by losing 6 of its initial 7 matches, the odds that the Bearcats would reach their 13th consecutive winning season didn’t appear to be great. However, first-year coach Haylee Orf got the team pointed in the right direction and guided it to 16 victories in its final 24 matches for a 17-14 season.

“Adversity is a great thing if you look at it right,” Orf said during the season. “We have been able to start looking at so many details, splitting the seams, how we are reacting to hitters coming in at different spots, and also building them up and helping them believe in themselves through the growing pains.”

The Bearcat players did begin to “believe in themselves,” as several players evolved into significant contributors to that aforementioned success, none more so than senior libero Brooke Lasater and junior hitter Kate Nichols.

Both of those players were recently named to the 2023 Stoddard County Athletic Association Volleyball Team.

For Nichols, her impact was obvious throughout every match, according to Orf.

“All the way around,” Orf said of Nichols, “she is a stronghold for us. She is always very focused in the huddle.”

That focus comes from a fiercely competitive nature, which Orf said Nichols used to internalize a bit too much.

“She used to get down on herself a little bit in her younger years,” Orf said. “She has really grown into a strong, stable leader. She is a competitor through and through.”

Orf’s team featured five seniors, but eight juniors and sophomores, which bodes well for the future. She said Nichols is going to be a key influence on next year’s roster.

“I’ve got a couple of more (competitors like Nichols) coming up,” Orf said, “and we’re just trying to bleed that into everybody because I know that they all have some of that (fire) deep down.”

In the case of Lasater, she emerged as a critical part of the success this season more so than in years prior, according to Orf.

“Brooke has been such a constant for us from the get-go,” Orf said. “She has really blossomed this year.”

Other members of the 2023 SCAA Volleyball Team included: Addi Carlton, Emma Eilers, Lexi Hoffman, and Abby Kennedy (each from Advance), Eliana Bowling and Madison Jines (Bell City), and Rhodie Long (Woodland).

Lexi Hoffman was named as the Player of the Year while Eilers was honored as the Defensive Player of the Year.

Hornet Coach Erin Hoffman was recognized as the Coach of the Year after guiding the Hornets to their fifth MSHSAA Class 1 State Championship in the past six seasons.