By Chris Parker
Marshfield volleyball has had a strong run the past three years winning at least 23 matches each year. Last season, the Lady Jays finished 25-8-2 overall. The season ended with a loss to Rogersville in the Class 3 District 11 title game.
“We’ve had some success the past few years, especially the past couple of years. We love our kids, and we try to make our gym as competitive and positive as possible,” Marshfield head coach Jarod Olson said. “The past two seasons, as well as this season, we have booked some very strong programs to push us and make us better. We have been blessed with athletes who want to win, and who are willing to be coached.”
The Lady Jays graduated two first-team all-conference players in Emily Aldridge and Addison Crider who are both playing college volleyball this year.
This year, Marshfield returns nine seniors including six starters. That group includes seniors Brooklyn Crawford and Alliyah Joiner, who both will be four-year starters. Crawford, a second-team all-conference selection, had 227 kills and 75 blocks last year. Joiner is a key defensive player at libero who earned honorable mention all-conference honors last year.
“Brooklyn will be a big weapon again for us as a six-rotation player. She has a high kill percentage, and she is a perennial leader in blocks in our conference,” Olson said. “Alliyah will once again be our libero. She missed all of our matches before conference play last year due to an injury, but she came back and managed to make the all-conference team.”
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Fellow senior Brianna Utecht returns as a three-year starter. Utecht had 80 kills and 62 blocks last year on her way to all-district honors.
Seniors Ashlyn Grier, Ellie Whitehurst and Baylee Hays round out the returning players that saw time in a majority of last year’s sets. Grier will move to outside hitter this year. Whitehurst will be the team’s No. 1 setter in the Lady Jays’ 6-2 offense. Hays returns as an outside hitter after putting down 96 kills last year.
Maile Peck, Harper Coltrane and Raylee Burton are three more players expected to make a varsity impact as hitters.
A big change for this season will be Missouri switching from a best-of-three to best-of-five set format for matches. It is a change Marshfield is ready to embrace.
“We are excited about the five-set change, simply because it puts Missouri schools on par with the rest of the states, which will help in the future if we want to schedule matches or tournaments with schools from neighboring states. It also better prepares those athletes who are good enough to play at the collegiate level,” Olson said.
Marshfield opens the season on Sept. 1 at Willard.
