The Ozarks has become a hotbed for volleyball talent and it is displayed on this year's All-O-Zone Volleyball team.
Here are our picks for the top players in SW Missouri. There are seven players on the first and second teams. We also picked our Player of the Year, Attacker of the Year, Setter of the Year, Libero of the Year and Coaches of the Year.
In addition, we reached out to an opposing coach to get comments on each player.
Athletes from schools in the following counties were eligible for selection: Barry, Barton, Benton, Camdenton, Cedar, Christian,Dade, Dallas, Dent, Douglas, Greene, Hickory, Houston, Howell, Jasper, Laclede, Lawrence, McDonald, Newton, Oregon, Ozark, Polk, Pulaski, Shannon, St. Clair, Stone, Taney, Webster, Wright.
All-O-Zone First Team
Player of the Year: Kendra Sater, Ozark
Attacker of the Year: Laynie Dake, Mount Vernon
Setter of the Year: Rielly Dobbs, Nixa
Libero of the Year: Gerri Idos, Kickapoo
Laynie Dake, Mount Vernon
College: Missouri State
The Line: It didn’t take long for Dake to go from good high school hitter to an elite player. The 6-foot-2 senior made it back-to-back 400-kill seasons by tallying an Ozarks-high 411 kills in 2015. Dake also had team-highs in kill percentage (51.7) and hitting percentage (.389), while her 227 digs were the second most on the team. Dake nabbed All-Big 8 and All-State honors and finishes her career with 1,140 kills.
Opposing Coach Comments: “She’s extremely athletic, always in control and very versatile; she's tall and powerful for what we see in Class 3 so to find a good match-up height wise is difficult for many teams. She is a complete player.”
Rielly Dobbs, Nixa
College: College of the Ozarks
Dobbs was one of the area’s most improved players, helping Nixa develop into one of the top teams in the nation. She finished 2015 with 706 assists, including seven games of 25 or more. She also added 154 kills, the second to only Aubrey Cheffey for the team lead, but she led the Lady Eagles in kill percentage (51) and hitting percentage (.455). The All-COC Large and All-State selection capped her career as a three-year starter with 1,945 career assists.
Opposing Coach Comments: “Very under rated kid. She's a great setter, but one of the MOST effective setters offensively I have seen in my 18 years of coaching. She runs a great offense, knows the weakness of opponents and takes advantage of those. She is a steady player who is ALWAYS in control of her emotions, which is always a GREAT non-tangible for a setter.”
Gerri Idos, Kickapoo
College: Missouri State
The Line: You’ll be hard pressed to find more talent in a smaller package. She’s just 5-foot-1, but few get to more balls than Idos. The All-Ozark Conference pick led Kickapoo to the OC title with a team-high 345 digs, her second straight season with at least 300 digs. Idos was also named the Community Olympic Development Program Athlete of the Year in 2015.
Opposing Coach Comments: “Has a great defensive mind set. She truly believes that she can get to any ball and the majority of the time, she does!”
Kelsey Larsen, Glendale
College: Undecided
The Line: Few players play all six rotations at a higher level than Larsen. The All-Ozark Conference selection had one of the most balanced stat lines you’ll see, totaling 229 kills, 344 assists, 233 digs and 68 blocks for a 29-win Glendale team. A four-year letterman, Larsen helped lead Glendale to 77 wins and an OC title in her last three years. If Larsen doesn’t play volleyball collegiately it’ll be based on her choice and not her talent.
Opposing Coach Comments: “Kelsey is a multi-weapon volleyball player. She is a very consistent setter, that does a great job distributing the ball and seeing the defense to get it to the open hitter, creating 1-on-1 match-ups. She also is a dangerous hitter that sees the floor equally as well when attacking and does a great job hitting around the block and finding holes. Definitely a multi-talented threat on the volleyball court.”
Paige Perry, Ozark
College: Missouri State
The Line: Perry spent the bulk of her senior season battling a back injury, but that didn’t stop her from dropping a team-high 236 kills and leading Ozark back to the Class 4 Final Four. Perry had nine double-digit kill matches, while posting a 45.5 kill percentage and .339 hitting percentage. The four-time letterwinner totaled 892 kills and 842 digs.
Opposing Coach Comments: “Explosive player who sees the floor well. Has a quick contact on the ball as a hitter. Moves well on the front row and back row with her lateral movements. Has many tools as an attacker on the front row.”
Chloe Rear, Strafford
The Line: A stress fracture took away her summer and some of the fall, but Rear bounced back with one of the most dominant seasons in the Ozarks, leading Strafford to a Class 2 runner-up finish with 287 kills, 236 digs, 389 assists, 53 aces and 41 blocks. She’s just a sophomore and she’s already a two-time all-state selection and has one of the most lethal right hand amongst underclassmen.
Opposing Coach Comments: “Her fire and passion about the game are a coach’s dream. Her swings on the front row are the opposing team’s worst nightmare. I breathe a sigh of relief when she rotates to the back row. I wish she was a senior!”
Kendra Sater, Ozark
College: Missouri-Kansas City
The Line: There wasn’t a more complete volleyball in the Ozarks in 2015 than Kendra Sater. The three-time all-state selection led Ozark in assists (810), kill percentage (47.5) and hitting percentage (.345) and finished second in blocks (55) and digs (238). She also added 129 kills. Ozark went 131-28-3 in Sater’s four-year career. Sater’s legacy will also include 2,447 assists, 1,007 digs and 684 kills in her career; the only player in state history with a 2,400-assist, 1,000-dig, 600-kill stat line.
Opposing Coach Comments: “Her size on the front row and her ability on the front row to attack the ball on the 2nd hit make her special. No other teams in the area have a player like her to play against or practice against.”
Co-Coaches of the Year: Ashley Bough, Strafford & Francie McBride, Winona
Second-Team
Aubrey Cheffey, Nixa
College: Missouri State
The Line: 336 kills, 36 blocks
Opposing Coach Comments: “Her size alone is hard to coach against. Size matters in volleyball. Intimidating to see her attacking the ball for most back row players. Hits shorter in the court than other outsides because of her size. And again, most players don't play against players with her size in a daily practice. It makes a difference.”
Emma Lander, Crane
College: Evangel
The Line: 308 kills, 115 blocks, 60 aces
Opposing Coach Comments: “Emma is a true athlete. She stays focused and dominates at the net…on offense and defense. She's a modest player, never letting her natural, amazing talent go to her head. She was a tough kid to coach against, but a fun kid to watch.”
Rayna Jeffries, Carthage
College: Central Arkansas
The Line: 440 digs, 34 aces in 2015
Opposing Coach Comment: “Easy to see that her teammates feed off the energy she brings to the floor. Not only does she do a great job defensively, she can hurt you with her serve as well.”
Olivia Johnston, Rogersville
College: William Jewell
The Line: 366 kills, .310 hitting percentage, 225 digs
Opposing Coach Comments: “She's a fierce competitor, not afraid of any one or any situation. She seems to thrive in big game situations. Olivia is the type of player you want in your gym and on your side of the net…fearless, tough, a little bit of a chip on her shoulder, knows what it takes to win, a leader.”
Cat Repsher, Carl Junction
College: Southern Mississippi
The Line: 252 kills, 48.7 kill percentage, .331 hitting percentage
Opposing Coach Comments: “Cat is a product of a great volleyball program. In her time at CJ she went from a low key, never-saw-her-coming middle blocker to a build-your-scouting-report around her outside attacker. In either situation, she has the tools necessary to destroy defensives.”
Jorden Stacey, Fair Grove
College: Evangel
The Line: 563 assists, 288 digs, 115 kills in 2015; 115-26-2 career record
Opposing Coach Comments: “Jorden is a fun player to watch. She isn't big but makes her presence known because she is such an aggressive player. She is hard to play against because she is capable of dishing the ball anywhere, on her side or the opponents. It was fun to watch her facial expressions and then she’d immediately change the game with her next action.”
Johonna Walkup, MV-BT/Liberty
College: Undecided
The Line: 264 kills, 52 aces, 53 blocks; 126-20-5 career record
Opposing Coach Comments: “Johonna is a very unique player. She is solid all around and with her perfectionist mentality, she is a very smart player. She sees the floor well and can serve and hit a spot when needed. She is tough to defend because of her placement ability. She is a game changer.”
