By Chris Parker

Fall 2019 Preview: Lebanon Volleyball

By Chris Parker

Lebanon won 23 matches last year while finishing as district runner-up to Willard. The Lady Yellowjackets must replace a five-player senior class that included four all-conference players.

“Last year’s group was a special group since they were my first group of freshman coming in to Lebanon,” Lebanon head coach Jenny Collins said. “Over the past four years we spent a lot of time together and built great relationships and created many memories with one another. They displayed a lot of buy-in to the program and committed to working to reach team/program goals. Katie Esther and Cori Johnson were three-year varsity starters and offensively were key leaders. Taylor Bowling led the offense as our setter for the past two years and had great connections with her hitters. Transfers Skylyr Leake and Faith Campbell were great additions to our program bringing athleticism and a competitive drive both in practice and on the court.”

Ellee Douglas and Bailey Hough return after earning honorable mention all-conference honors as juniors last season. Douglas will head up the defensive back row after leading the team in digs (247) and serve-receives (353) last season. Hough will be a six-rotation hitter. She is the team’s leading returner in kills after she put down 113 last year.

“Expectations for these two as seniors remain the same as in years past. I expect them to be great teammates and to be leaders not only through the good times, but when times are tough. The season is a grind and I look for my leaders to communicate effectively both on and off the court and look for them to take on extra responsibilities,” Collins said.

CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE FALL SPORTS PREVIEWS

Seniors Avery Hays and Kiara Waterman also return. Hays will switch from a defensive role to a setting role this year. Waterman will return as a hitter.

Seniors Jenna Skeens, Abby Jackson and Lydia Jackson along with junior Sydny Leake and sophomore Jocee Pettyjohn will be new varsity names to watch. The Jacksons are transfers into Lebanon this year. Skeens brings good height to the middle. Leake offers versatility on the front row. Pettyjohn will play in the back row.

“This summer we have shown to be a very scrappy team. We take a lot of pride in our defense and spend a lot of time working to be the best defensive team that we can be. We have several players who aren’t afraid of the defensive grind and are making some great plays keeping the ball alive,” Collins said.

Collins will look for growth in the offensive game after graduating all but two players that had more than 10 varsity kills last season.

“Offensively we have some big shoes to fill after graduating last year’s senior class. We have potential to be very effective offensively, but aren’t as consistent terminating the ball that we need to be. As a team we are working on transitions to help speed up our offense and are working to develop better hitter ball control and various shots,” Collins said.

A big eight-player senior class has expectations remaining high for the Lady Yellowjackets this season.

“Expectations remain high for this team. Even after graduating a strong class, we have another strong group looking forward to their time leading the charge. We will respect each and every one of our opponents and will focus on earning one point at a time within each match. When we step on the floor the expectation is to compete,” Collins said.

Lebanon will travel to Central on Aug. 26 for a jamboree with the host Lady Bulldogs, Strafford and Hollister. The Lady Yellowjackets open the season on Sept. 3 at Republic.