By Chris Parker
Camdenton volleyball broke through last year claiming a district championship and coming up one set short of advancing to the Class 4 Final Four. It was the program’s first district title since 2008. The Lady Lakers won 25 matches last season.
A group of six seniors led by all-state selections Sydney Smith and Olivia Whittle graduated from that team.
“Last year’s seniors started playing together when they were in sixth grade. They loved the game of volleyball and were devoted to making our program better. They showed up to every workout, practice and summer event possible. We will miss their leadership and work ethic the most. They knew their senior year they did not want to settle and they were great examples for our underclassmen,” Camdenton head coach Austin Walker said.
Senior middle Payton Kincaid is the top returning player for the Lady Lakers. She earned all-state honors last year after putting down a team-high 308 kills and contributing 33 blocks.
“This year we will expect Payton to be a solid six-rotation player for us who can score from any position on the court. She has done a great job this summer working on her back row skills and has worked on mixing up her shots as she knows people will key on her,” Walker said. “Her greatest asset is her athletic ability and her quickness. She has done a really good job at passing to attack over the past year.”
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Sarah Holmes (setter), Mya Hulett (middle), Elle Turner (setter), Charlotte Kurtz (libero) and Mackenzie Daniels (outside) give Camdenton five more returning seniors to lean on.
Walker on Holmes: “Sarah was a mix between JV and varsity last season and saw some significant action on the varsity level with all the quarantines we faced. She is a great leader who leads by example. She wants to make those around her better. She has done a really good job at working on playing great setter defense for us this summer and finding ways to keep the ball in play on the right side.”
Walker on Hulett: “Mya is transitioning from the right side back to the middle this season. She is a left-handed hitter who can also give us an attack out of serve receive on the right side. She’s had to play some back row this season and has shown great improvement. She is quick and as a lefty hard to block.”
Walker on Turner: “This will be Elle’s third season playing varsity for us. She is a smart setter that knows when it’s her turn to score points or when we need a bail out play. She plays great defense and like Sarah, knows when she needs to keep the ball in play on the right side.”
Walker on Kurtz: “Charlotte played in a defensive role for us last season so she will be comfortable in the middle back for us this season. She is a hard-nosed girl who has done a great job at adjusting to our defensive scheme. She has worked really hard on her serve receive this summer and I’m excited to see her lead our back row.
Walker on Daniels: “Mackenzie was a JV and varsity player last season who saw some significant time on varsity because of quarantine. She is a very hard worker who works to improve her game in all aspects. She pushes everyone around her on the court to be better and will be a great leader for us.”
Even with the graduation of six seniors, these seniors will have Camdenton once again running out an experienced lineup.
“Our biggest strength this season is going to be our experience. We’ve been so close to our goal of a final four and the girls are eager to get back to that spot. This group of varsity players are very well rounded and they’ve shown they can play multiple positions on the court giving us great depth,” Walker said.
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Juniors Lily Wiethop (outside) and Nora Powers (outside) and sophomore Caitlin Garmany (defensive specialist) are new players to watch on the varsity level.
Walker on Wiethop: “Lily is transitioning from JV middle to an outside hitter for us this season. She is a super athletic kid who is figuring out her abilities and has become more confident in her game. She has worked on mixing up her shots and finding ways to score points out of system.”
Walker on Powers: “Nora will challenge for a spot on varsity this season as a pin hitter for us. She is a great athlete who has played middle and set in previous seasons. She too has been working on her confidence in her abilities and has been working hard to find a spot on the court.”
Walker on Garmany: “Caitlin has made vast improvements over the spring and summer and has really stepped up to become a great defensive player for us. She is gaining confidence in her abilities and has done a very good job of working on her platform during the summer.”
Walker will look for the newcomers to pick up confidence quickly.
“We have to instill confidence in our newcomers and work on our out of system game. We’ve been trying to be more aggressive out of system to score points instead of sending free balls over the net. We want them to feel confident in taking a risk,” Walker said.
Last year was a learning experience for teams all across Missouri with the move from a best-of-three to best-of-five set format.
“Your training is completely different for a three-of-five match vs a two-of-three match. We had to have a quick turnaround and allow more time to recover if we had a 4 or 5 set match during the week. We felt like we did a good job of that in the postseason, especially when we play 10 sets on the day of the sectional and quarterfinal matches. We were right in the thick of things so we felt like we had done a great job of training,” Walker said. “We had to put a lot of emphasis on recovery and rest during the season and our off days. We limited swings and jumps as the season went on. We are going to have to do a better job of that this season as we don’t have as much depth as we were used to this past season.”
Camdenton will host a jamboree this year before opening the regular season on Sept. 2 at home against Rock Bridge.
“Our expectations do not change from last year to this year. Our goal is to get back to where we were and continue to get better each game,” Walker said. “Our kids are expected to come in each day and compete with each other and push each other. We are looking forward to a great season.”
