By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Kickapoo volleyball enjoyed a magical season in 2022.
Not only did head coach Marci Adams’s 31-9 squad capture the program’s first district title in 14 years, the Chiefs reached the Class 5 title match.
Kickapoo fell in four sets to Lafayette (Wildwood); however, Adams believes the lessons learned during the deep, postseason run are invaluable for the program as it moves forward.
“One take-a-way from 2022 is to focus on the season one game at a time and one set at a time,” Adams said. “We played a tough schedule, and we learned something through every win and every loss. We entered postseason with a collective effort on being a contender in each match. We made it to the final four for the first time since 1995.”
While graduated all-state honoree Grace Gardener will be difficult to replace, the Chiefs are fortunate to have two additional all-state selections returning.
Libero Kya Johnson and outside hitter Bella Faria return to lead Kickapoo’s attack this season.
Johnson, a 5-foot-7 senior, finished with 543 digs, 105 assists and 34 aces last season.
“Kya led us in serve-receive receptions and digs,” Adams said. She excels at communication, leadership and setting the standard for defensive effort.”
Faria, a 5-foot-9 senior, recorded 330 kills, 456 digs, 35 blocks, and 65 aces last season.
“Bella is the ultimate competitor,” Adams said. “She wants to win, and you want to be her teammate. A lot of people key in on her with their serving, so she prepared to focus a lot on her first contact and then contribute offensively.”
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The all-state duo are joined by fellow returnees Emma Eaton, Parker Papa, Reagan Greenway, Hannah Gardner, Claire Doening and Jenna Perryman.
Eaton, a 5-foot-2 senior defensive specialist, posted 475 digs and a 97.5% serving clip with 40 aces.
“Emma is a tenacious defender and key server,” Adams said. “Her serve-receive improved daily in 2022. We’ll look to her to scoop up lots of digs, come in and serve tough when it counts the most and always remind the team to have fun.”
Papa, a 5-foot-6 senior outside hitter, finished the season with 211 kills, 69 digs and 31 blocks.
“Parker had 211 kills and worked herself into a reliable passer and attacker,” Adams said. “She is an all-state sprinter, which one cannot accomplish without a strong mentality.”
Greenway, a 5-foot-7 senior setter, recorded 643 assists, 200 digs and 27 aces last season and was selected to all-district and all-conference teams.
“Reagan led the team in assists and serve percentage,” Adams said. “She will go into her third season on varsity as a setter. She works hard to connect with her hitters and frustrate opponents with her defense.”
Hannah Gardner, a 5-foot-10 junior setter, finished with 454 assists, 155 kills and 80 blocks last season and earned all-district and all-conference honors.
“Hannah was third on the team with blocks and led our offense from the front row,” Adams said. “She is very physical at the net and runs a great tempo offense. We will look to her to move from 3 rotations to 6 rotations. No doubt she’s up for the task.”
Doening, a senior middle hitter, posted 247 kills and 107 blocks during her junior season and received all-district and all-conference honors.
“Claire led the team in kill percentage and hitting efficiency,” Adams said. “She has great blocking hands and is effective at attacking open spots on the court.”
Perryman, a senior middle hitter, recorded 193 kills and 103 blocks during her junior season and was named to both all-district and all-conference teams.
“JP and Claire were tied for most blocks on the team,” Adams said. “Jenna brings a spark to the team each time she subs in. She’s fast, jumps well and has great shots.”
Adams expects a pair of relative newcomers to also make impacts on the varsity roster this season in senior Lily Maupin and junior Hannah Williams.
“Lily isn’t a newcomer but she was injured during the 2022,” Adams said. “She has a great contact point and fast arm swing. Hannah saw time in several sets last season. She’s an athletic, versatile player that can play any position in the front row as well as serve receive.”
With a strong, experienced core returning, it’s no secret expectations are once again high for Kickapoo. Adams believes her team will greatly benefit from leaning into that experience.
“Our biggest strength could be having a taste of a deep, postseason run and wanting to build off of that,” Adams said. “Having a senior loaded team means most of the team is having a lot of last ‘firsts’ and they have a strong desire to continue paving the way for future Volleychiefs.”
Kickapoo’s attack will be quarterbacked by the two-headed monster of Greenway and Gardner, allowing the Chiefs to run both 6-2 and 5-1 rotations effectively.
“Reagan and Hannah are the program’s primary setters – they both make us go,” Adams said. “They have different strengths, but every puzzle piece can’t look the same. Hannah is physical at the net and an effective attacker with her left hand. Reagan is speedy on defense and not much gets by her. Those two are the glue between our defense and offense.”
On defense, Adams once again points out Kickapoo’s experience as a primary asset.
“What I like most about our defense is our mentality,” Adams said. “Our blockers and defenders level up when they see each other working hard. We want to be the team that frustrates offenses and keeps sending the ball back over.”
Following an Aug. 22 jamboree in Ozark, Kickapoo opens its season Aug. 26 in the Bentonville, Ark. Early Bird Tournament.
