WILL A STATE CHAMP ARISE IN 2001?; LOCAL TEAMS HAVE NOT TRACKED DOWN A CROWN IN THE LAST THREE YEARS

Since 1997, no girls prep volleyball team has brought a state championship back to Southeast Missouri. That is, among the 18 teams in the Southeast Missourian coverage area.

Bernie won state championships in Class 1A in '94, '95, '96, '98 and '99.

Are there any bona fide contenders in the area? Could this be the year that drought ends?

In 1997, Leopold, coached by Leanne Huffman, captured the Class 1A crown.

Just a year earlier, 1996, Carl Ritter's Bell City team was the best in state, winning the Class 1A championship, also.

After a summer of camps, league play and preseason practice, the ladies are primed to hit the courts this week in pursuit of the ultimate goal, a state title.

Following is a preview of the 18 area teams.

Cape Central

New coach Sheila Midget, a proven winner, has begun the task of rebuilding a down program at Central.

The Lady Tigers, under their third coach in three years, were 2-19 in 2000.

Midget arrived with an outstanding coaching resume at Branson High School where she led five teams to conference and district championships -- one to the final four -- in her 13-year tenure. She has won nearly 78 percent of her games with a career record of 165-47-17.

"We're starting at the bottom," said Midget, "working on fundamentals: footwork, passing, setting and hitting. We're also doing a lot of conditioning work and trying to raise our level of intensity."

Competing for the crucial middle hitter/blocker position are three returnees from last year's squad, juniors Courtney Edge, Vicki Wilson and Rachel Spinks.

Seniors Abby Cain and Emily McElreath and junior Anna Brisso are vying for the outside hitter spots.

The starting setter will probably be filled by one of a trio of returning players; seniors Sarah Wernsman and Hannah Griesemer and junior Jill Holloway.

Rounding out the squad are senior Ashley Ford, juniors Amber Seabaugh, Liz Pincksten and sophomore Andrea Niswonger -- all listed as defensive specialists.

Said Midget, "They have been responding extremely well. At first they were just coming to practice on time, now they are coming early and staying late. That determination will be a key to our success."

Cape Central opens the season at home against Perryville tomorrow night.

Notre Dame

"This year we're going, period," said a confident Lady Bulldog coach Helen Payne, on her team's goal of going to state in 2001.

Last year Notre Dame (20-9-4) won its district before being edged by two points in the deciding set by Bismarck in the quarterfinal round of the sectional playoffs.

Payne has a solid core of returning starters and a new player with proven athletic ability who could put her squad over the top.

The new addition is all-state basketball star Deanna McCormick. The 6-foot-1 McCormick led the Lady Bulldogs to a runner-up finish in last year's Class 2A state tournament.

"She's taking to it like a duck to water," said Payne. "I expect her to be all-state in volleyball, too."

Six seniors led by all-district performer Courtney Vickery, middle hitter Jennifer VanGennip, outside hitter Libby Beussink, top defensive player Emily Worley and defensive specialist Meredith LeGrand will provide quality leadership.

Outstanding all-round athlete, junior Ali Tyson, is the returning setter, and junior Erin Pfau, a powerful outside hitter, will be key performers, as well.

Young players coming up to add depth are juniors Emily Essner, Katie Buessink and Doris Dorlac, along with athletic sophomore Summer McCauley.

"We have no weak spots; we should really be fun to watch," said Payne. "And this is the best group of kids as far as work ethic and attitude I've ever been around in my 21 years of coaching."

Notre Dame gets an early season test at perennial powerhouse Bernie on Sept. 4.

Jackson

The Lady Indians (22-9-2 in 2000) lost only one starter to graduation, but that loss was huge.

Andrea Koeper, team leader and all-region performer, has moved on and will continue her athletic career at Southeast Missouri State University on a basketball scholarship.

Coach Nancy Ellis, entering her sixth year at Jackson, does have four returning starters to build on, but depth may be a problem.

Ellis' take on her team appears to be optimistic, tempered with a dose of caution.

"This group can do whatever they want," said Ellis. "They have the potential, the athletic ability and the heart; it just depends on how they come together and play as a team."

Returning starters are junior all-district middle blocker Jennifer Mesey, junior middle blocker Jenna Leet, senior setter Erin Hartman and junior setter Jessica Koeper.

Kacie Crites, senior outside hitter, Denae Nagel, senior defensive specialist and junior setter Courtney Vance figure to get extensive playing time.

Sophomores Linden Hahs, Maria Oehl and Katie Loos are expected to make contributions.

"We are looking at a lot of different rotations and combinations right now and we'll just see what happens," said Ellis. "Our schedule is a lot tougher and we hope to finish in the top two in the SEMO Conference."

Jackson opens at home against St. Vincent on Aug. 28.

Meadow Heights

The Lady Panthers are loaded again.

There should be no letdown for the defending Class 1A, District 4 champions in 2001.

As for this year's goals, fourth-year coach Erin Hoffman said, "It's kind of difficult to project a lot of improvement record-wise, but we want to have another good showing at the SEMO Tournament and go further than last year in the postseason."

Finishing with a sparkling 32-3 record last year, the Lady Panthers lost in three sets to eventual state runner-up Winona in the sectional playoffs.

Meadow Heights took second at the highly competitive SEMO Tournament in Cape Girardeau last season, losing to Class 4A Farmington in the finals.

Jessica Bollinger, who graduated and is now playing volleyball on scholarship at East Central College in Union, Mo., will be the biggest loss for the Lady Panthers. Emily Heitman, a starter, and Lisa Jones, a top reserve, were also lost to graduation.

But Meadow Heights will reload with five seniors who possess a wealth of talent and experience.

Holly Boyd, middle blocker, Ashley Brune, middle blocker, Jami Fulton, setter, Tessa Bollinger, outside hitter, and Hanna James, outside hitter were all starters last year.

Two other seniors, Jamie Heitman and Maria Ferguson will see a lot of action, along with juniors Rachael Welker and Jill Hahs.

There sophomores, Jasmine Sewell, Heather Thele and Chelsea Bollinger figure to add depth and probably get playing time.

Sophomore Jenna Ellis, recovering from a broken leg suffered in a summer softball game, is on the road to recovery and could be back in October.

Hoffman describes her squad as "an all-round solid team, deep at every position with a balanced attack."

Meadow Heights opens the season at home against Marquand on Sept. 4.

Scott City

Coach Barbara Ice's Lady Rams have shown steady, if not spectacular, improvement over the past couple of years.

Scott City climbed to the .500 level in 2000 with a 13-13-3 record.

"Our goal is to win our district," said Ice, "something that has never been done here."

Three seniors, who have played together since their freshman year, will be the backbone of this Lady Ram team.

Makenzie Cartwright, Mindy Miller and Kyla Smith will be expected to provide veteran leadership.

Juniors Sidney Baer and Amanda O'Brien are also returning after logging lots of minutes last year.

Baer, however, may be less than 100 percent due to a foot injury that will require surgery after the season.

Said Ice, "She's determined to make it through the volleyball season."

Moving up to the varsity and expected to be contributors are juniors Kelly Cook, Brandi Compass and Megan Ressel along with sophomore Shana Wadlington.

"This group has excellent potential," said Ice. "If they'll pull together and use the abiiity they have, which takes self-discipline, we'll be OK."

Scott City opens at home against Charleston on Aug 28.

Chaffee

The Lady Red Devils have nowhere to go but up after a disappointing 0-15 season.

Coach Paulette Crouthers, entering her fifth year, likes the attitude and work ethic of her young team.

"They're all hard workers and they work really well together," said Crouthers. "By the middle of the season we should be playing good, solid defense."

Depth and experience will be sorely needed at Chaffee.

Only one senior, Megan McFerron, setter and outside hitter, returns.

Two junior outside hitters, Jennifer Vandeven and Ashley Graham, will be in the starting rotation.

The remainder of the team will be sophomores.

Mallory Kiefer, Ashton Lee and Natalie Townsend will likely gain starting roles.

Sophomores Amy Holmes, Molly Sowler and Samantha Hendricks will play on the junior varsity and back-up the varsity.

Chaffee opens the season against Woodland at the Woodland Tournament on Aug. 28.

Perryville

The 2000 Lady Pirate team finished second in its district.

But plagued by inconsistent play throughout the season which saw them finish in the bottom half of the Jefferson County Conference with a 10-18 overall record, they could be labeled underachievers.

Two starters on that squad, Natalie Bohnert and Andrea Buerck, have gone on to play at the college level. Bohnert at Shawnee Community College, Shawnee, Ill., and Buerck at Meramac Community College, St. Louis.

Second-year coach Amy Birk said, "I definitely expect a winning season. This team plays very aggressively. We should be more consistent and we have great leadership from our seniors."

Four returning starters are back including senior all-district performer Katie Kutz, a 5-10 outside hitter, Cindy Rhyne, senior defensive specialist, Rachel Wunderlich, senior outside hitter, and Emily Amberger, junior middle hitter.

Two sophomores, Lisa Pecaut, setter, and Kaci Schremp, middle hitter, should make their presence felt with strong contributions.

Perryville opens the season at Cape Central tomorrow.

St. Vincent

Squaw coach Louise Wibbenmeyer, starting her second season at the helm, expects all 10 varsity players to contribute this season.

Coming off a 12-14-4 record in 2000, Wibbenmeyer thinks her team is "absolutely capable of improving our record."

"Our conditioning, quickness and team chemistry are our strengths. We will play hard and play together," she said.

Four upper-class returnees hope to counteract the loss of all-district middle hitter Danielle Sutterer and all-conference setter Staci Lane.

Senior outside hitter Becky Kirn, all-district last year, and senior Megan Moll, outside hitter, will be counted on to provide aggressive hitting and leadership.

Juniors Chelsey Brown and all-conference pick Beth Hennemann are solid performers who will provide help on the front row, while senior Mindy Cattoor is expected to contribute as a setter and defensive specialist.

Filling out the varsity roster and likely to see plenty of playing time are juniors Mary Beth Reiss, a middle blocker, Dani Emmendorfer, setter, Danielle Schremp, outside hitter, Jan Hayden, outside hitter, and Kelsey Amschler, outside hitter.

St. Vincent opens at Jackson on Aug. 28.

Advance

The Lady Hornets staged a major turnaround in 2000 with a 23-9-2 record, up from 5-20 in '99.

And they did it with three freshmen, Dana Williams, Nicole Tropf and Abby Winchester, in key starting roles.

Although they're still relatively young, with only two seniors and no juniors on the team, the Lady Hornets will be a handful for any opponent.

Third-year coach Kim Aggertt said, "At times last season we lacked leadership in tough games because we were so young, but those three freshmen have matured a lot and are much more comfortable with stepping up to leadership roles."

Williams and Tropf are both six-footers who play the net with power, while Winchester will be the primary setter.

Seniors Jessica Cato and Shelby Becker rotated at an outside hitter position last season and both will likely be in the starting lineup.

Freshmen Alicia Broshuis and Kaci Cooper are expected to see considerable varsity action.

After losing in the district semifinals to Zalma last year, a team goal is to go deeper in postseason play this time around.

Said Aggertt, "I think the main thing is staying positive. These kids are so young that they do get frustrated when things go wrong. So we, the coaching staff, must stay positive and keep them focused."

Advance opens at home against Puxico on Aug. 30.

Bell City

The Lady Cubs came on strong at the end of last season to finish with an 11-15 mark.

Carl Ritter, in his eighth year at Bell City, describes his 2001 group as young and small in stature.

Quickness and desire will be the strengths of this unit.

"We're going to have to play hard and have good floor play to be effective," said Ritter, "but they're young and they don't give up, I'll tell you that."

Returnees include senior Katie Spears, a three-year starter and No. 1 hitter, sophomore setter Whitney Abner, junior outside hitter Erin Dissler and senior defensive specialist Amanda Bailey.

Talented freshman Katie Niemczyk will step into the No. 2 hitter role. Niemczyk, at only 5-3 , is probably the strongest hitter in the Bell City lineup.

Another freshman Emily Burch is a potential front-row starter, while sophomores Katie Goodman and Sarah Scherer will see minutes as back-row players.

Junior Jenny Bullard will be used primarily as a middle blocker.

Bell City, seeded second, opens against Greenville at the Woodland Tournament on Aug. 28.

Charleston

The Lady Blue Jays broke new ground in 2000 with their best record ever at 12-14 and their first-ever district win.

Only in its sixth year, the Charleston program under second-year coach Scott Crabtree will strive to continue climbing the ladder to success.

"I think we'll be more successful this season," said Crabtree. "We're more athletic and this team has a better attitude than last year's squad. We just need to put it all together."

Hitting should be an area of strength, while the passing game needs to improve for the Lady Blue Jays to have a good season.

Alana Coon, senior middle hitter, is the only full-time returning starter as eight players were lost to graduation.

Sophomore Angela Clark has the potential to be a Division 1 player, according to Crabtree.

"She can jump out of the gym," he said.

Seniors Tess Hobbs, middle hitter, Julie Duenne, setter, and Amanda Medlock, setter/hitter, will be in the starting rotation, along with junior Jessica Harvell.

Charleston opens at home against Scott City on Aug. 28.

Fredericktown

Led by two all-district performers, the Lady Black Cats should be as good or better than last year's team which rang up a 17-5-1 record.

Kevin Coffman, in his ninth year, seven as head coach, said, "We've had the best practices in my nine years with the program. I'm hoping our experience will carry us through the tough times during the season."

Experience is there with six seniors and two juniors on the varsity. But depth may be a problem with only eight proven players.

Seniors Nickey Tucker and Megan Leonard, both all-district, will provide power and leadership on the front row.

Seniors Megan Brown, Kim Simmons and Jennifer Huff, along with junior Jessica Johnson will rotate between the hitting and defensive positions.

Senior Ashley Ward and junior Kristen Moyers will be the primary setters.

Sophomores Amie Polete, Jennifer Rehkop, Ashley Moyers and Ashley Harris have been practicing well and will likely get playing time as the season progresses.

Fredericktown opens at home against Herculaneum on Aug. 28.

Leopold

The Lady Wildcats were 21-8-3 in what was tabbed a rebuilding year in 2000, including a second-place finish in the playoffs to district nemesis Meadow Heights.

Coach Leanne Huffman's goal is to get her team back in the state championship hunt.

"I'm excited about this year, because we do have such great talent on this team," said Huffman. "It's fun to work with girls this talented."

A solid corps of starters return led by all-district junior middle blocker Holly Jansen. Senior outside hitter Kyla Horrell and junior Courtney Wesbecher will join Jansen on the front row.

Leopold will gain a boost with the return of sophomore setter Wendy Vandeven, who was expected to contribute heavily last season before contracting mononucleosis.

Depth is no problem at Leopold and competition for minutes is keen.

Fighting for positions are senior Melissa Thele and a quintet of juniors: Becky Seiler, Amanda Dunn, Anna Nenninger, Melinda Trankle and Jill Vandeven.

Sophomores Melissa Stroder and Tasha Thele, along with freshman Lori Vandermierden are also in the mix for playing time.

"I am expecting us to be better than we were last year," said Huffman.

Leopold, seeded No. 1 in the Woodland Tournament, opens its season against the winner of the Zalma/Oran match on Aug. 30.

Marquand

Faith Lakies is taking her first prep coaching job on rather short notice, having been hired about a month ago.

The good news is she is taking over a veteran team that has worked together in the past.

In her limited time with the Lady Tigers, Lakies has found out one thing.

"They are hard workers and I just know they will put forth their best effort," she said.

Five returning starters are senior setter April Gibson, senior middle hitter Amy Schwab and junior hitters Michelle Poe, Katie Stroup and Letha Brewington.

Poe, Stroup and Brewington are all power hitters at the net.

Sophomores Ginny Hansman and Amanda Myers will need to step up and contribute for the depth-shy Lady Tigers.

Marquand opens at Kingston on Aug. 28.

Oak Ridge

Last year's assistant Kami Green makes her head coaching debut as she takes the reins of the Lady Blue Jays, who posted an 8-16 record in 2000.

Green inherits a veteran team as all ten members are upperclassmen, juniors and seniors.

Seniors Candice Schaper, middle hitter, Jenny Hrabik, outside hitter, Alana Hobeck, setter, Amanda Hahs, defensive specialist, and Amy Pohlman, setter, will provide experience and leadership.

Juniors Laura Glueck, middle hitter, Crystal Green, outside hitter, Ashley Webber, setter, Katie Hemmann, middle hitter, and Mindy Ruch, outside hitter, round out the squad.

"The girls are excited about starting the season," said Green. "Our goal is to improve as the year goes on and, hopefully, peak at district time."

Oak Ridge hosts St. Vincent in its opener on Sept. 4.

Oran

Coming off a near .500 season at 11-12, the Lady Eagles hopes have been dimmed a bit by early-season injuries.

Already plagued by low numbers, Oran has lost senior defensive specialist Anilise Lange to an ACL injury that required surgery and junior starter Teresa Hodges with a sprained foot.

Hodges is out for three weeks, while Lange may be back by October.

"Despite all the difficulties, the girls have not given up," said third-year coach Tonya Skinner. "They work hard and they hustle like crazy."

Senior outside hitter Ashley Dirnberger and senior middle hitter Maria Eftink return to starting roles for the Lady Eagles.

Oran will use juniors Jessica Prino and Candice Duncan at the setter positions.

Rounding out the squad are junior middle hitter/blocker Tera Griffin and sophomore Amber Seyer.

Oran will debut in the Woodland Tournament when it meets Zalma in the first round on Aug. 28.

Woodland

The Lady Cardinals will field a senior-dominated team as they look to improve on a 9-16-3 record in 2000 and return to the glory of its recent past.

Woodland had a fourth and a third-place finish, respectively, in the Class 2A state tournament in '98 and '99.

"I expect a lot out of our seniors who received a lot of experience last year," said coach Emily Johnson, entering her third year.

Five of the seniors are returnees: Danyel Farrell, setter, Kelly Reed, middle hitter, Emily Davis, outside hitter, Sarah Devenport, defensive specialist, and Jeni Jackson, middle hitter.

Seniors Bianca Martin, middle hitter, and Alisha Tranum, setter, are returning to the team after missing last season.

Juniors Stacie Greer, Andrea Myers, Nicole Santi, Jennifer Cook and Laci Cronk will be vying for playing time.

"I saw some good things at camp," said Johnson, on the team's summer camp experience at Springfield, Mo. "These players are dedicated; we just have to put it together."

Woodland opens the season against Chaffee at the Woodland Tournament on Aug. 28.

Zalma

The Lady Bulldogs showed marked improvement in 2000 as they posted an 18-9-3 record and advanced to the district finals, where they bowed to Bernie.

In 1999, Zalma had a sub-.500 season.

Three graduated players, Erica Campbell, Carrie Pixley and Amber Buehler, will be missed. Buehler is currently a non-scholarship walk-on at Texas Christian University, with a shot at making the team.

Coach Shannon Garner, seventh year at Zalma, won't call this a rebuilding year, however.

He said, We should be better defensively; more quickness and more depth on the bench. I have eight or nine players who are interchangeable."

Garner feels the offense needs work, but will come around as the season progresses.

Returning starters are senior middle hitter Mary Kay Hovis and junior setter Selena Slaughter.

Reserves on last year's team who are competing for wide-open starting spots are senior Mandy Dillinger, juniors Audra Pixley, Brittany Shelby, Melissa Fish and sophomores Kacy Burchett and Cindy Hovis.

Zalma opens the season against Oran in the Woodland Tournament on Aug. 28.