In Good Hands: Louisburg setters ready for one final run together

Louisburg seniors Corinna McMullen (left) and Davis Guetterman have started since their freshman year as setters and are excited for their last season together.

Throughout time, there have been hundreds of famous dynamic duos that people remember fondly.

Whether it was Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, Spongebob and Patrick, Batman and Robin or even macaroni and cheese and peanut butter and jelly – one was never quite the same without the other.

Louisburg volleyball has its own memorable duo in Rinny and Davis. Members of the team or its fans can’t talk about one without thinking of the other. 

They are two peas in a pod, as they say.

Seniors Corinna McMullen and Davis Guetterman have been what has made the Lady Cats go the last four years as they return for their final season as the Louisburg setters.

“There are times in most of our lives where we wish we could make like six clones of ourselves,” McMullen said. “I feel like Davis and I are clones of each other. We always know what the other one is thinking. We are literally the same person and I think it is effective in every aspect on and off the court.”

Most teams, especially in Class 4A, are lucky enough to have one experienced setter — but the Lady Cats have been blessed with two.

Both were thrown into the starting lineup their freshman year and Louisburg has run a 6-2 offense ever since.

“I think it makes it easier on the players since we have been running the program for four years and they haven’t had to adjust to a new setter,” Guetterman said. “It is almost as important as the quarterback in football. We both run the same tempo stuff and it is easy to stay in the same system.

“It is easier for most coaches to trust just one person for the job, rather than splitting it into two people and saying you have to do the same job. But I think Rinny and I both work really well together.”

It has shown on the court as the two setters have helped the Lady Cats to a second-place state finish as freshmen and a fourth-place finish as sophomores. Louisburg was on track to make it to another state tournament in 2020, but the Lady Cats ran into Bishop Miege, the eventual state champion, in sub-state and lost a very competitive match.

That continuity is what the Lady Cats hope will help them get to their third state tournament in the last four years.

“It is very difficult to find two setters who can play at the varsity level and deliver the same ball to all of the hitters – their consistency is almost unreal,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “It’s even more rare to have two setters that are also some of the best hitters and passers on the team. Considering they have been running a varsity 6-2 their entire high school careers (aside from a few injuries), it’s incredible that they have both continued to elevate their play and push each other to be better while still working together the whole time. 

“They are constantly cheering each other on and pushing each other. You don’t see competition between the two of them because they choose to compete as a unit, and I think that’s what I’m proudest of as a coach. They don’t worry about comparing their stats. They just go out there to win games and will settle for nothing less.”

As if setting wasn’t stressful enough, both players have also been asked to hit as they play all six rotations.

McMullen, who earned first-team all-league honors as a setter, finished last year with a team-high 207 kills and 439 assists – which is a rarity for one player to lead their team in both categories.

“It was a growing opportunity for both of us,” McMullen said. “We had never been put in a role where we were expected to do great things. It is was just super exciting and pushed us out of our comfort zone and it made us grow a lot more of players.”

Injuries hampered part of Guetterman’s season a year ago, which didn’t allow her to hit as much and hurt her chances at postseason honors, despite accounting for 35 aces, 226 assists and 102 digs. The team wasn’t quite the same during that stretch.

“Rinny and I play the best when we are on the court together,” Guetterman said. “Last year, we both hit and set and then I got injured. I did more just setting after that, we just always know what the other one is thinking. That helps a lot, especially since we are hitting now and we both know where the other wants the ball.”

It is the type of psychic intuition that has helped them be successful and they have seen themselves grow since their freshman season.

“Now we are more leaders,” Guetterman said. “As a freshman, I just didn’t want to mess up. We were playing with Anna (Dixon), who is a Division 1 athlete (University of Missouri), and I just didn’t want to make mistakes. Before we just didn’t want to mess up and now we both expect certain things out of our hitters.”

As important as the two are on the court, they also do a lot of things off the court that led them to both be selected captains for the upcoming season.

Not only do they encourage each other, they also bring energy to the team, which is vital part to their 2021 season.

“We expect everyone to give 100 percent,” McMullen said. “We picked a sport where it is about more than just your individual self. This is about the person next to you and the 10 people on your team. It is about family, and I think when we understand that, we are going to come together so well.”

With it being their final high school season, both players have put in everything they can to make this year a memorable one.

“As a freshman, you can’t really help those around you, because you feel like a tiny person,” Guetterman said. “As a senior, I feel like we can more motivate more people. It is kind of sad because it has gone by super fast. I told Willer at our meeting at the beginning of the season that I don’t want to waste any more time. Three years has flown by. I want her to hold us accountable. It stinks in the moment where you are having to run that extra lap or whatever, but that is what is going to make you better in the long run.”

However, volleyball will be far from their rear view mirror when the season is over. Earlier this year, McMullen committed to play at Washburn University, while Guetterman committed to the University of Sioux Falls — both Division II programs.

It has been long journey that both have enjoyed being a part of, together.

“I think it is a gift from God that my best friend and I play on the same team in both club and high school now,” McMullen said. “We grew up together through it all. It is unique that we are both at the same school and have the same qualities. We want the team to be successful as we can and we start with the basics with each other. Our connections is what drives the team to be greater.”

Greatness has been synonymous with Rinny and Davis and they hope to end their run with a state trophy. 

“They have made it very clear that they expect to be back at the state tournament at the end of October, holding a plaque when it’s all said and done,” Willer said. “I think they are aware that we have a special group this year and we are going to have the opportunity to make some noise at the state level if we continue to work hard and play as one unit.”

No matter what happens though, both players are ready for whatever the season, and future, holds in store.

“Our slogan this year is ‘The Tradition Continues’ and just because of the setback we had with COVID and the changing of coaches, the tradition is still going to continue no matter who graduates or who is going to come up,” McMullen said. “Since both of us have the opportunity to play for four more years in college, it isn’t as upsetting to me. I love high school, but we have a lot to look forward to. This is the beginning to the end, to another beginning.”

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