By Chris Parker
Hollister volleyball has a new head coach in Molly Terry taking over this season. Terry was the eighth grade coach at Hollister the past two seasons and was an assistant at her alma mater Logan-Rogersville for eight seasons prior to that. She played collegiate volleyball at Drury.
“I have coached at the middle school level at Hollister for the past two years, and I was excited to get the opportunity to coach those players again in high school,” Terry said. “The impact I hope to make this year is to teach my players how to be smart, knowledgeable players. Even though I’ll only have this year’s seniors for one year, I hope to have a positive impact on their volleyball experience and that they leave the program on a high note.”
She will have a trio of returning varsity players to lean on as they look to improve on last year’s five-win season.
Sophomore Paige Hurley brings back the most experience at outside hitter. She is a six-rotation player who was second in the team in kills (94) and aces (33) last year.
“She (Hurley) is extremely competitive and will do whatever it takes for her team to win,” Terry said. “Even though she is just a sophomore we will look to her to take on a vocal leadership role on the floor. She’s a rare player in the fact that she could play any position on the court and be very successful. She is a phenomenal all-around athlete and she’s the one who wants the ball when the game is on the line.”
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Olivia Williams will run the offense at setter in her junior season. She was the assist leader last year with 172.
“We will look to her (Williams) to be the floor general,” Terry said. “She is a quick learner and extremely coachable. This summer she has been a sponge at absorbing as much information as she can and then immediately implementing it on the court. She is a smart setter and can find the right hitter at the right time.”
Senior Neka Holmes will play libero.
“She is a natural leader and the other players look to her for that leadership,” Terry said. “Even though she is small, she is mighty. If her team needs her to be a floor mop to help them win, then she’ll be a floor mop. She is a calm, steady presence in the back row.”
Isabella Dopko (junior right side), Isabella Parrish (sophomore outside), Kingsley Tiefry-Morlang (junior middle hitter), Cristina Hernandez (senior defensive specialist), Kelly Garceau (junior middle hitter) and Gracyn Jones (freshman setter) are newcomers to watch on the varsity level.
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“Our biggest strength will be our eagerness to learn and improve each game. We will not be the same team in October that we are in August. The players have been dedicated this summer to weights and open gyms and we are excited to get in the gym and continue to improve every day,” Terry said. “Our volleyball IQ needs to increase and our team chemistry. We only have three returning varsity players so meshing the newcomers with the experienced players takes some time. They are also getting used to a new coach and learning new terminology.”
Hollister will travel to Springfield Central on Aug. 24 for a jamboree with the host Bulldogs, Lebanon and Strafford. The Lady Tigers open the regular season on Sept. 6 at home against Ava.
“Our expectations are to be competitive in every match we play in,” Terry said. “We expect to compete for a Big 8 East Conference title and to be playing our best volleyball in October when districts start.”
