By Josh Hall (Josh.hall@ky3.com)
The Carl Junction High School volleyball team isn’t shy about what it hopes to accomplish this season following an 18-12-1 campaign in 2016 that ended with a loss to Carthage in the Class 4, District 12 finals.
“We definitely have one goal in mind – to win the district championship and then go from there,” Lady Bulldogs coach Cheryl Sharples said during league play in June.
Carl Junction loses a key piece from last year, piece in Kenzie Stinnett who was second on the team in digs (215), receptions (366) and third in kills (161).
Besides that, the Lady Bulldogs are loaded with upperclassmen that all put up big numbers last season.
Oral Roberts signee Sylvia Lawson will set the tone for Carl Junction after tallying 682 assists as a junior while fellow senior Lexi Miller is back after leading the Lady Bulldogs with 252 kills during her junior year as an outside hitter.
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Senior middle hitter Olivia Lewis led the way last year with 108 blocks, 16 aces and also totaled 104 kills. Grace Southern is also returns after a strong sophomore season, where she second on the team with 206 kills as an outside hitter.
Senior defensive specialist Kamryn Colburn had a team-leading 285 digs and 404 receptions, while fellow senior defensive specialist Cana Sluder finished the 2016 campaign with 165 digs.
Also in the mix this season will be Courtney Schmidt (junior outside hitter-defensive specialist), Loran Dawson (junior defensive specialist), and Salma Lewis (freshman outside-middle hitter).
“We’re very athletic and I feel like we can definitely terminate the ball,” Sharples said. “We should have a pretty powerful offense.”
The Lady Bulldogs battled injuries throughout 2016, but Sharples said the team is healthy going into the new season.
Carl Junction won a Class 4 district title in 2014 after finishing runner-up at state in Class 3 in 2013.
“Everybody’s been coming in and working hard and getting stronger in the weight room,” Sharples said. “I think that’s a big key for us.”
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