By Josh Hall
Since 2014, the Willard High School volleyball team has compiled an 88-17-4 record and has won three-straight district titles.
Kasey Brower, Kara Finkbiner, Kennedy Atkinson and Timberlyn Barnett have been starters on each of those teams.
Now seniors, the quartet hopes to take the Lady Tigers to an even higher level this year.
“We all just want it so bad,” Brower said. “We’ve won districts, we have that experience and we know what it feels like to win.”
Willard went 29-5-3 in 2016 after falling to Ozark in a Class 4 sectional. The Lady Tigers were 31-5-1 in 2015, where they lost to Ozark in the quarterfinals. In 2014, Willard went 28-7 and fell to Carl Junction in sectionals.
Brower, Finkbiner, Atkinson and Barnett, along with five other seniors, have one more chance to get to the place they’ve wanted to be for a while now.
“I mean, every year the goal has been to go to state,” Willard head coach Jamalee Hancock said. “They’ve been talking about it for three years now. They have that expectation. I hope they don’t feel too much pressure, but they are mature and they have big dreams for this season.”
Willard only loses two seniors from last year’s team in Lindsay Britton and Kaitlyn Williams.
The Lady Tigers return nine seniors this season, the largest group Hancock has had during her time at Willard.
CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL OF THE FALL SPORTS PREVIEWS
“That floor has a lot of experience,” she said. “This is the deepest talent I’ve ever had at Willard and this is going on my 17th year as head coach. I’ve never had the depth that we have right now.”
Finkbiner led the team last season with 179 kills to go along with 167 digs. Brower, the team’s libero, led Willard with 387 digs, while setter Brooke Willard tallied 338 assists. Atkinson and Barnett combined for 172 kills and 111 blocks.
As a freshman, Emily Terry led the Lady Tigers in multiple categories, including blocks (69) and aces (58). She was also second on the team with 148 kills.
“It’s great chemistry,”Finkbiner said. “We’ve all been around each other, so it’s fun. It makes it easier to play. We’re all like a big family. That’s just kind of how it is. It makes it fun.”
With the amount of depth returning, Hancock said there would be some competition throughout the season for playing time.
“For a coach it’s a great thing, because it creates a great, competitive environment at practice every day,” Hancock said. “They know there is someone eager to get on the floor as well. That’s positive.
“They’re all extremely skilled volleyball players, but they get along extremely well, they’re very hard working and they have great cohesion. They all have the same goal, they’re all extremely coachable.”
