By Chris Parker
West Plains volleyball returns four players who saw action in more than 90 sets for last season’s team that won six total matches.
That quartet includes Lily Wiedemann (junior outside hitter), Mylea Adams (sophomore middle), Lucy Hafer (sophomore setter) and Madi Hughston (senior outside hitter).
Widemann will again be a six-rotation player after putting down 150 kills last season.
“Lily has grown a lot as a leader over the summer,” West Plains head coach Hailey Beazley said. “She is an outside hitter but will be playing middle for us some too. She is one of those players that can take on any role we need her to.”
Adams was second on the team in blocks as a freshman with 16.
“Mylea is quick and explosive,” Beazley said. “She is a huge asset offensively and defensively in the middle.”
Hafer handed out 298 assists last season, which was good for second on the team.
“Lucy does a great job at running the offense and is a great communicator on the court,” Beazley said.
CLICK HERE FOR LINKS TO ALL OF OUR FALL SPORTS PREVIEWS
Hughston led the team in kills (155) and digs (371) on the way to honorable mention all-conference honors as a junior. She is hoping to be medically released to play in the preseason after recovering from her second ACL tear.
Mia Duggins saw action in 46 varsity sets as a sophomore. She will be a defensive specialist.
“Mia has great ball control and has really sharpened her defense this summer,” Beazley said. “She brings poise and calmness to our side of the court.”
Seniors Hannah Wynn, Emily Butler, Emma Chapman and Kennedi Keller along with Ella Orr and Zoe Scharnhorst and freshman Jocelyn Denny will be newcomers to watch on varsity.
Sound defense will dictate a lot of the success for West Plains this season.
“We know that we may not be the biggest team with the biggest hitters, but defense wins games. Defense has been a big focus for us this summer,” Beazley said. “Something we really struggled with last season was errors. We need to take care of the ball and have way less errors on our side.”
West Plains will travel to Glendale on Aug. 24 for a 5 pm jamboree with the host Falcons and Branson. The Zizzers open the regular season on Aug. 29 at Willow Springs.
“Our goal is to control our side every single game,” Beazley said. “No matter who we are playing we must consistently bring the right attitude, effort, and focus. If we can control the controllables night after night, good things will happen for us this year.”
