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Fall 2017 Preview: Greenfield Volleyball

By Josh Hall (josh.hall@ky3.com)

The Greenfield High School volleyball team will look to improve as the season goes after the Wildcats graduated four starters from last year’s team that went 9-19-1 following a loss to Jasper in the first round of the Class 1, District 9 tournament.

Among those senior is two-time All-Spring River Valley Conference setter Macy Wilson and leading offensive weapon Taylor Burns.

“There’s going to be a learning curve with these girls, but they’re versatile, they’re athletic and they’ve come a long ways over the summer,” coach Marla Kemp said.

While the majority of Greenfield’s roster will be inexperienced, the Wildcats do return their starting libero in senior Autumn Phillips, along with junior outside/middle Lauren Jones. Jones was the second-leading offensive player and led the team in solo blocks as a sophomore.

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Because of their youth, the Wildcats will rely on defense this season.

“I’ve got a couple of power hitters, but power is not going to be our strength this year,” Kemp said. “We’ve got a little more height, so work working on blocking and getting to the ball quicker.”

After being groomed for the past two seasons, junior Kiarra Mai will lead the team at setter. Mai has seen time at the varsity level since her freshman year, but will set for the first time in 2017.

Senior Rendie Burns will be a contributor as a defensive specialist, while sophomores Adriauna Wallen and Aubrey Davis will compete for playing time as middle blockers.

Kemp said the Wildcats also feature several athletic freshmen that could be immediate contributors.

Greenfield has made improvements this season, but Kemp knows the Wildcats have a ways to go.

“We talked about when we get frustrated, that’s when we really need our teammates the most,” she said. “We’ve got to learn to build on our communication skills and our team skills, and that will generate better volleyball.”