New pieces, familiar faces to lead Lady Cat volleyball in 2022

Louisburg senior Adyson Ross is one of several returning players to the Lady Cat volleyball lineup this season. Ross, along with senior Claire Brown, were named team captains.

Like every program sees from time to time, the winds of change are blowing through the Louisburg volleyball team.

After finishing one win shy of a state tournament appearance a year ago, the Lady Cats will have a different look to them — at least in some spots, anyway.

For the first time in four years, the Lady Cats will feature a new setter thanks to the graduation of four-year starters Corinna McMullen and Davis Guetterman. 

Add in the loss of strong defenders like Chase Kallevig and Aubryn Berck, Louisburg coach Leanna Willer has had to do some reshuffling to see how the pieces fit for the 2022 season.

“This will be a different team after losing last year’s seniors, but many of our players have solid varsity experience and benefited from awesome leadership the past few years,” Willer said. “So far, our varsity players maintain high expectations for themselves – they refuse to lower the bar and continue to push each other, demanding the best of their teammates.”

However, despite all that change, there is one place where the Lady Cats return a lot of veteran pieces — at the net.

Seniors Allie Kennedy, Emma Prettyman, Adyson Ross and Claire Brown, along with junior Hailey Sword, all return as the team’s top hitters and will be a big strength of the squad this season.

“We do feel that our offense is strong,” Willer said. “We return our No. 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7 hitters when looking at kills per set. With this much experience, we feel that we can compete with just about anyone.”

Putting the hitters in the best position to succeed will fall on the hands of Megan Quinn. The Louisburg junior is the team’s starting setter this season, while another junior, Bronwynn Williams, could also see some setting duties.

Willer has liked what she has seen out of Quinn so far and believes she will do a good job in her first year at her new role.

“Some of our leadership roles have shifted as our captains this year are Claire and Adyson, who are hitters for our team,” Willer said. “That being said, leadership naturally comes from the setting position as we say the setter is the ‘quarterback’ of our team. Megan is an extremely hard worker and a natural leader on the court. No one can expect her to be Rinny or Davis, we just want her to be the best Megan she can be. 

“We know that Megan is fully committed to our team and will give us 100 percent no matter what. In addition to Megan, Bronwynn may also see some setting opportunities. We love the energy and passion that the two of them bring to the court. They are two kids that have fully bought into the program and are willing to do whatever the team needs to help us be successful.”

Defensively, Louisburg will feature some new faces with the loss of those four starters from last season. Serve receive and defense has been a focus so far at practice for the Lady Cats.

Junior Ashlyn Berck will start the season as the libero, while senior Ava Jorn, Sword, Brown and Ross will also provide help in that area.

“All four of last year’s seniors were phenomenal defenders and serve receive passers,” Willer said. “That is definitely an area we work on improving every single day. Both Claire and Adyson have back row experience, and we will look for Hailey Sword, Ashlyn Berck and Ava Jorn to step into those roles as well.”

Like most seasons, the Lady Cats will venture through a difficult schedule, but many of those challenges will come in Frontier League action.

Ottawa (state runner-up), Baldwin (fourth at state) and Spring Hill (5A tournament qualifier) will all be tough matches in Frontier League play, along with tournaments at Lansing, Ottawa and Circle High School.

“Our league is crazy tough with three teams that competed at the state tournament last year in Spring Hill, Ottawa and Baldwin,” Willer said. “While every team lost good players in their senior classes, they each return talented players who have that high level experience. Every league game will be tough, but that’s what makes playing in the Frontier League so exciting. Nothing is guaranteed, and we are fueled by that competitive atmosphere.”

Louisburg, which is currently ranked No. 7 in the Kansas Volleyball Association preseason poll, would love nothing more than to find itself back in the state tournament once again.

That road begins at 6:30 p.m. tonight when the Lady Cats host Paola in a Frontier League matchup.

“We have high hopes and expectations for our season,” Willer said. “They expect to continue the traditions of Louisburg volleyball by competing at the top of the league and working toward that sub-state championship. I think we all recognize the potential this group can have together — we are just excited to get started.”

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