It’s no secret that the Ozarks is loaded with volleyball talent. Nearly a dozen players from the Class of 2016 will join D-1 programs. Here’s a list of some former area standouts that are continuing their success at the collegiate level.
Kinsey Batten, Elise Munroe & Ashley Ophoven, Missouri State – You may know her better as Kinsey McCarter, but saying “I do” hasn’t changed her ability to set a ball. Batten leads the Lady Bears with 710 assists, which is also second in the MVC. She’s a Missouri State legacy and gave out 1,363 assists as a junior, which is the seventh largest total in MSU history. Monroe and Batten were rivals, as the former was an uber-athletic kill machine for Stephanie Bates at Glendale, but these days she’s on the other end of kills. The senior defensive specialist has 191 digs for the 12-4 Lady Bears, the second highest total on the team. Ophoven, a former Ozark star, has found playing time and a role for herself as a true freshman, putting down 132 kills, even grabbing MVC Freshman of the Week honors for her 29 kills and .317 hitting percentage in her inaugural week of collegiate volleyball.
Hannah Blount, SBU – It’s tough to put a price on just how valuable Blount is to SBU Volleyball. The Carthage native has been a human shovel throughout her career and that’s no different in 2015 as she leads the Lady Bearcats with 191 digs. Blount currently holds SBU’s all-time mark for digs per set (4.49) and digs in a season (647) and is just five digs away from breaking the all-time for career digs (1,716).
Maris Below, Miami (Ohio) – The former Kickapoo standout does a little bit of everything for the Redhawks, helping guide them to an 11-6 start with 96 kills and 129 digs. The junior OH rarely comes off the floor and has started 55 of her 73 career matches and is closing in on her 500th career kill.
Caroline Clifford, Mineral Area – The first of several former Ozark players, Clifford helped the Lady Tigers to back-to-back Final Fours in 2013-14 after tearing her ACL as a sophomore. Clifford has guided MAC to a 17-5 start with 165 kills/2.75 kills per set. The 6-foot freshman has nine games of 10 or more kills, including a season-high 18 against Laramie County.
Shelby Clifton, Missouri Baptist – The Lady Spartans are a ridiculous 57-5 over the last two seasons, advancing to the Elite Eight in 2014. The former Mountain Grove standout has found her niche as one of the most aggressive servers on one of the nation’s best serving teams. Clifton’s .45 aces per game is second on the squad and her nine aces in conference play is tied for seventh in the American Midwest Conference. MBU is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation in NAIA.
College of the Ozarks – Stacy Edwards has loaded up on local talent at C of O. The Lady Bobcats have won six out of seven and are led by former Reeds Spring all-stater Danielle Curnes, whose 259 kills ranks in the top 30 in the nation. Jamie Reaves (Cabool) and Chloe Shepherd (Carthage) have added 222 and 188 kills each; Reaves also leads the team with 109 blocks, which is tied with Evangel’s Morgan Kensinger for third. The Lady Bobcats have a pair of COC setters in Lindsay Boone (Branson-496 assists) and Sarah Kreul (Republic-403 assists). Former all-state sprinter Ashlynn Rogers (Mountain Grove) is third on the team in digs (305) and leads the Cats with 29 aces.
Evangel – It’s hard to pick just one as nearly the entire roster is all Ozarks natives. The Lady Crusaders are a perfect 23-0 on the season and ranked No. 9 in the nation. Haley Watson (Mountain Grove) and Micah (Cribbs) Guiot (Bolivar-sixth on EU all-time kills list) have led the way offensively with 240 and 209 kills respectively. Former O-Zone Female Athlete of the Year Morgan Kensinger (Fair Grove) leads the team with 109 blocks (tied for 3rd in the nation), while Ozark product Jackie Fugate is second with 81. Nixa grad Morgan Smith is a walking floor burn with her team-high 411 digs (2-time HAAC Defender of the Week and reigning HAAC Libero of the Year), with Rogersville’s Allie Dunton and Ozark’s Briana Justis adding 204 and 201 respectively. The duo of Chloe Hadley (Joplin) and Maddie Baumann (Clever) have combined to dish out 739 assists. Basically, if you like quality volleyball with familiar faces and want to see them before they make a run to the NAIA National Tournament, head out to the Ashcroft Center soon.
Bridget Justis & Rae Myers, McNeese State – Back in 2012 Justis, a senior at Ozark, ended Myers’ junior season at Kickapoo in the district championship. Now they’re trying to help former Drury head coach Ashleigh Fitzgerald resurrect McNeese State Volleyball. Justis leads the team with 240 digs, and the 5-foot-3 junior even has a pair of kills on the year. Myers is second on the team in that category with 99 and was named to the Arkansas Invitational All-Tournament Team back in August.
Mallory Long, Drury – The 13-2 Lady Panthers are off to their best start in program history under second-year head coach Jenifer Bahner and currently have a six-game winning streak going, with a perfect home record. Long, a senior DS, has been a mainstay in the Drury lineup since 2012. She has 153 digs for Bahner and is on pace to have the third 200-dig season of her career. The Republic product helped lead the Lady Tigers to a district championship her senior year.
Krishna Merriman & Kaili Simmons, Western Illinois – Remember Kelly Hartley, the former Lady Bear that became an All-American at Evangel? Well, after coaching stops at Republic, Southwest Baptist and Texas-Arlington, she’s now running the show at WIU and has a pair of local products helping her out. Simmons was a stud at El Dorado Springs and transitioned to playing back row at MSU-West Plains. She leads the Leathernecks in digs (203) and is top 10 in the conference in digs and digs per set. Merriman, the SRVC Player of the Year at Pierce City, was a standout at Missouri Southern for two years (481 kills, 90 blocks) before transferring to WIU. In conference, she leads the team with 12 blocks and her .80 blocks per set is No. 16 in the conference.
Dani & Gabi Mostrom, Wichita State – Apparently they liked sharing a house, clothes and food so much that they decided to go to the same college as well. Both were four-year letterwinners at Parkview, more known for hitting than their defense, but both have transitioned nicely to back row. After redshirting as a freshman, Dani has entrenched herself in the starting libero role and done extremely well, topping her 423 digs as a freshman with 541 more as a sophomore (fifth most in school history). Her 283 digs in 2015 is a team-high, while her 4.42 digs per set is fifth in the conference. Her 1,247 digs is the ninth most at Wichita State.
Regan Peltier & Emily Thater, Missouri – After a disappointing finishing to 2014, Mizzou (13-1) has been one of the biggest surprises of 2015 and a pair of local stars are helping to lead the surge. After an All-American senior season at Nixa, it took Peltier little time to adjust to college; shad 167 kills and 58 blocks in her first season in Columbia. Her 129 kills are the third highest total to this point, as are her 134 digs and her 12 kills helped Mizzou upset nationally ranked Florida last week. Thater, a Kickapoo product, is second on the Lady Tigers with 43 blocks. She has been a block machine in black and gold, finishing with 93 as a freshman and 95 as a sophomore. The 6-foot-3 junior had four blocks in the upset of Florida.
Autumn Reese, MSU-West Plains – Another former Ozark Lady Tiger, Reese has played extremely well for the No. 13 Lady Grizz, helping to guide them to a 14-9 start with a team-high 490 digs, which is currently fourth in the nation. She is also second on the team with 15 aces. With her current average of 5.21 digs per set, and having at least 10 games remaining on the schedule, Reese could make a run at the program’s single-season record for digs.
Ivy Reynolds, Lindenwood – The former Ozark standout and 1 Awards nominee had a stellar freshman campaign. Being forced to set due to injuries, Reynolds handed out 419 assists and her 199 digs was the fourth highest total on the team. She’s adjusting to a new role in 2015, but is still third on the team with 120 digs as the Lady Lions have also exceeded last year’s win total in just 14 games.
Meghan Stacey, Texas Tech – In her time at Ozark she helped the Lady Tigers to a state championship in 2009 and was an Under Armour All-American as a senior. Now she’s taking swings at Tech. Through 17 games she notched 65 kills, hitting .241 for the 12-5 Red Raiders. Stacey has been a force since arriving in Lubbock, with 199 kills as a freshman and 208 as a sophomore.
