Mountain Grove’s Raylee Stenzel is reaching insane heights, literally.
“She has close to 40 inch vertical, if that tells you anything,” said Mountain Grove Head Volleyball Coach Ashley Kell. “Which is insane because it is a man vertical.”
Pair her jump with her swing, and her kills just keep going up…and up….and up.
“Last year, Coach [Kell] rewarded me with my 1000 kill and I was just surprised because I never knew really that I was that close,” Stenzel said.
This season, Stenzel hit another milestone: 1500. She currently has over 1700 kills and averages nearly 27 each game.
“She has no idea what that big picture even looks like,” Kell said. “Like she has no concept that she can go down in state history and she is just going to go out there and doing her job.”
If she reaches 2000 career kills, Stenzel will be the second ever person to do it in the state of Missouri. She will reach the most kills if she surpasses 2056. Stenzel says her team sets her up for success.
“[I] just makes sure that they know that I am nothing without them…our bond is really good,” Stenzel said.
A paper taped on the outside of her locker is the constant reminder of that ‘we’ mentality.
“When I did my vision board, I put my family and friends, people that have this biggest impact on me and just the goals for this season,” Stenzel said. “I have some of my favorite quotes, like ‘I never lose. I either win or I learn’.”
The four-year varsity starter learned a lot her freshman year, turning those losses into lessons to bring the Panthers back-to-back district titles.
“I don’t think she has any idea what an impact that she has made and the legacy she is leaving with our program,” Kell said.
Stenzel will continue her volleyball career after Mountain Grove, trading in the panthers for the bears as she will be playing for the Missouri State beach volleyball team.
