Oran committed to growth and unleashing potential

ORAN, Mo. — The Oran volleyball team embraces the understanding that greatness is not achieved overnight.

Despite facing challenges, they are committed to the journey of improvement, working together to fine-tune their skills, increase their confidence and continue building a foundation for future success.

“Last year, during my first year coaching at Oran, I stated our program is evolving,” said Oran head coach Lindsey Bickings. “I knew it wouldn’t happen overnight, but I’m excited to see the growing enthusiasm from our elementary girls, which is a sign that we’re building something special. At the varsity and junior varsity level, I’ve been lucky to have a dedicated group of players who buy into our vision. Even though they participate in multiple sports, they understand the importance of putting in the work during the offseason.”

Participants from the Oran volleyball elementary camp stand for a photo. (Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat)

Perhaps the team’s biggest strength lies in its adaptability, with several players capable of playing multiple positions and stepping up whenever and wherever needed.

“They might not enjoy it as much as their preferred spot,” Bickings said. “But they’re always happy to contribute on the court. However, we can’t ignore the fact that we still face significant hurdles. Despite our athleticism, it’s a mountain we need to climb.”

The team’s top players, who are anticipated to make a notable contribution, include senior Bralynn Morgan, junior Caroline Brashear, sophomores Piper Bennett, Cora Woods and Mari Fuemmeler and freshman Kolie Morgan.

Bralynn Morgan brings experience and leadership to the team, while Brashear showcases her skill and determination.

“Bralynn Morgan is poised to excel in a crucial leadership role for our team,” Bickings said. “Her offensive capabilities deliver clutch passes to salvage points during intense out-of-system rallies.

“Brashear has enough will and want to cover the entire team, I expect her to be a beam of positivity through the year.”

Bennett has demonstrated potential and growth, Woods adds depth to the team with her versatility and Kolie Morgan has already displayed promise, impressing both her teammates and the coaching staff.

“Bennett, despite not having prior experience in off-season volleyball, possesses remarkable instincts and is one of the hardest-working players on the team,” Bickings said. “Woods effectively utilizes her power and height to our advantage, and I am eager to see the sparks she’ll ignite with her impactful offensive play. Kolie Morgan will be a standout who will take our overall power and speed to a higher level. We expect her to push for varsity playing time with exceptional skills and drive.”

Sophomore Bailey McCoy, an emerging player, will assume a crucial role as the varsity setter. This opportunity will allow McCoy to develop skills and contribute significantly to the team’s success in directing the offense.

“[McCoy] has worked extremely hard in the off-season to sharpen her skills and increase her overall volleyball knowledge,” Bickings said. “She is a sponge and has the ideal personality to be a setter. She is always wanting to know more, can take negative feedback just as easily as she takes positive feedback, and is the one player who might love volleyball as much as I do.”

When discussing the team’s defensive philosophy, Bickings highlighted the value of playing to their strengths and focusing on fundamental principles to disrupt the opposing teams.

“If we can focus on keeping the ball off the floor and not trying to do things outside of our skill set, other teams will mess up,” Bickings said. “We had that happen a lot over the summer against really talented teams and we were able to compete with bigger schools just by keeping things simple.”

Another key aspect that Bickings stressed the importance of was a “bring it on mentality,” regardless of the score or the opponent’s experience level. By instilling this mindset, she aims to teach the girls to focus solely on the next point, as it is the only one that matters.

“It's important to give constant feedback to my players,” Bickings said. “I'm not the type of coach who just stands there and makes you guess what you did wrong. I try my best to focus on a fix and not the error during games and try to make practices difficult so that games don't seem as hard, at least mentally.”

Oran will open its season on the road at Kennett on August 28.