By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Ozark volleyball enjoyed a resurgence in 2023.
Six years removed from a nine-straight final four trips, the Tigers posted a 29-6 record last season and captured a Central Ozark Conference title, falling to Kickapoo in the district championship.
Head coach Adeana Brewer was pleased with her team’s resilient nature and overall chemistry.
“Year after year we set our goal or our expectations to win conference and to make a run in postseason,” Brewer said. “While we were disappointed we lost in the district championship match, we were proud of the progress and what we accomplished during regular season in 2023. Winning the conference is something we have had our eyes on for a while now, and we were able to sweep all of our conference opponents in three sets.”
Heading into the fall campaign, Brewer will need to find replacements for a talented senior class, including Missouri State University signee Reagan Baade.
“Reagan Baade was an honorable mention all-american, all-state, all-district and all-conference six-rotation player on the court for us last season,” Brewer said. “Her role will be difficult to fill as she was so strong as both a defender and offensively at the net.”
A trio of seniors return to lead the Tigers this season in Macy Humble, Skylar Hilton and Reece Cook.
Humble, a libero and Missouri State commit, finished with 392 digs last season.
“Macy is incredibly quick and athletic, allowing her to get to many balls defensively that you think should hit the floor,” Brewer said. “She is a leader on the floor offering a solid balance of competitiveness and lightheartedness to her teammates. She has a high volleyball IQ and carries herself confidently. This allows her to often be a coach on the floor, providing feedback to her teammates and elevating everyone’s game around her.”
Hilton, a middle and Drury University commit, recorded 70 blocks and a .311 hitting percentage last season.
“Skylar offers us height and versatility in the front row,” Brewer said. “She is dynamic off one foot behind the setter and can run a variety of offensive patterns in front of the setter. Skylar moved into a varsity middle position halfway through her freshman year so she brings a ton of varsity experience to the floor in her role. Skylar is a great leader for our team with her experience, personality and ability to execute. She will be a go-to attacker for us.”
Cook, a setter, finished with 1017 assists as a junior.
“Reece has been our starting 5-1 setter since her sophomore year and has steadily improved her ability to run our offense effectively,” Brewer said. “She has great location and tempo as a setter and distributes the ball well to our offense. Reece is an incredibly competitive, hardworking player who has high expectations for herself and our team. She bleeds red and has so much pride in playing for her high school and hometown of Ozark.”
Three juniors also return to the Ozark rotation in Tara Venable, Alexis Andela and Aubrey Browning.
Venable, an outside attacker, hit for a .316 percentage last season.
“Tara is a go-to attacker as an outside hitter,” Brewer said. “She is a 5-foot-10 dynamic athlete that has a high contact point on the ball and hits hard and fast. She has worked on expanding her attacking arsenal and we look for her to utilize a wide variety of attack shots this season. Tara is a player that is extremely fun to watch and can take charge and dominate in the front row. Our hope is that she can become a six-rotation player for us so we can utilize her offensive threat from the back row as well.”
Andela, a libero, returns to the varsity lineup for the third-straight season.
“Alexis has had an exceptional spring and summer and is going to be so fun to watch do her thing in the backcourt,” Brewer said. “She brings experience, competitiveness, a high volleyball IQ and, most importantly, a high level of ball control to our lineup. She is aggressive in defense, and she is great at putting the ball into great locations when we are out of system. She has a 6th sense of where the ball needs to go to put her team into a good scoring position.”
Browning, an outside attacker, returns for her second varsity campaign.
“Aubrey joined the varsity last year as a sophomore year as a right side pin hitter,” Brewer said. “She will move to the outside this season where she spent a ton of time in the offseason to perfect her craft. She has made tremendous progress as a six-rotation player and has shown her ability to handle the pressure that comes with that responsibility. I look for her to have a standout junior season. She is competitive and thrives off coaching feedback.”
Senior middle Brinley Watson rounds out Ozark’s returning corps.
“Brinley will move to the middle position her senior year after competing for time on the right side last year,” Brewer said. “She spent the off-season training as a middle and has had so much growth in this position. We will look to Brinley to keep our team hyped up and for her to bring consistency to our offense and blocking defense each match we play.”
Brewer expects a pair of junior newcomers to make an impact at the varsity level in right side attacker Adilynn Rohrer and defensive specialist Bradie Soloman.
“Adilynn will compete for time on the right side,” Brewer said. “She has the potential to be an exceptional blocker with her height and can really challenge our opponent’s outside attackers. Adilynn is getting used to the speed of the game at the varsity level but has had a great summer training in this position. She has a high contact point on the ball offensively and we hope she can help us balance our offense when we are in a three-hitter rotation.
“Bradie is a natural leader who we will look to add depth to our floor defensive department. She is great at reading the offense and anticipating where the ball will be hit or placed.”
Seniors Maelynn Sundlie, Aisha Williamson and Janelle Sphoon will provide additional depth to Ozark’s varsity roster this season.
Brewer also made special mention of Josie Orellana, who passed away in December after a battle with cancer.
Orellana, an outside attacker for the Tigers, would have been a senior this season.
“At the core of everything we do and accomplish this season will be our girl Josie,” Brewer said. “Her grit and determination, her fighting spirit and inspiring courage will be in our hearts and minds every time we walk into a gym to practice or to compete. We will have an angel with us this season as we honor what would have been her senior year of Ozark volleyball.”
Brewer has high expectations for this year’s squad and for good reason.
Ozark is loaded with talent, experience and depth heading into the fall campaign.
“We return the majority of our lineup from a successful season last year, so I would say that experience would be one thing in our favor this year,” Brewer said. “Addtionally, we have a roster full of talented kids in each position who have strong leadership qualities both on and off the floor. This group is hungry to find success and is willing to hold themselves and their teammates accountable in order to achieve that success.”
“Being in-system off of first ball contact will be a critical piece to how well we play this season because when we are in-system that will allow us to run a faster paced offense and utilize all the attackers that we have across the front row,” Brewer said. “The more balanced we can be, the more success and pressure it will take off of pin hitters. We hope to be able to establish a middle attack quickly and then let our pins go to work. We also hope to be able to utilize our pins in the back row as well since they are capable of passing and playing defense. This will help us add an additional layer of offense, especially when we are in a two hitter rotation with our setter in the front row.”
Following an Aug. 27 home jamboree, Ozark opens its season Sep. 3 at Logan-Rogersville.
