By Chris Parker
Strafford volleyball had to replace a big senior class heading into 2020. The Indians saw their streak of six straight district titles snapped, but they were able to finish with a record of 16-12-1 to post an 11th consecutive winning season.
Winning seasons are an expectation that have built over time with Strafford volleyball.
“I don’t believe there is a big secret. I have learned through my playing and coaching experiences that success takes hard work, consistency, a competitive edge and things coming together at the right time,” Strafford head coach Ashley Bough said. “Over the past seasons, we have seen success and disappointments, allowing us to learn and make adjustments in order to grow as teams and as a program. Young players watch and learn, hoping to one day make an impact on the court and that goes a long way. Over these years, a sense of pride and tradition has started to develop and that is exciting as a coach. It is not just with volleyball either. Strafford High School has seen much success in many areas and that is because we have hard working kids who are supported and encouraged to continually push themselves to accomplish great things by our district, families and most importantly the community.”
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Last year’s team was young with just two seniors in the regular rotation, which means the Indians have a wealth of experience returning this year.
Abby Chadwell earned first-team all-conference honors as a sophomore last year, as she led the Indians with 569 assists. She now has 944 assists over two years at Strafford.
“Abby is going to be an integral part of our team this year running our offense. She brings a great deal of experience, consistency and hard word to the floor. We are looking forward to her taking the lead and helping our offense to be more effective,” Bough said. “Abby has the ability and drive to be a huge part of our team this year. She has had two years of experience running the offense with a lot of returning attackers, so we are looking forward to seeing what they will accomplish this year.”
The top returning attacker is Christa Duffel. Duffel, who was named Mid-Lakes First-Team All-Conference, led the Indians with 283 kills and 48 blocked shots. She will be a six-rotation middle attacker this year.
“Christa has developed into a dynamic player over the last few years. She has worked her tail off on the court and off to help herself be a big contributor to our team. Christa has really worked hard to not only improve her game as a powerful attacker, but also expand her shot selection as well on the court. We are looking forward to big things from her this season,” Bough said.
Strafford returns four players that had at least 112 kills last year with 86% of the total kills returning.
Senior Emma Mullings gives Strafford a third returning first-team all-conference selection. The libero led Strafford in digs with 454 last year.
“First and foremost, Emma is a great teammate. She also has a go-getter attitude and works extremely hard to improve herself daily. Emma is extremely coachable and is willing to do whatever it takes to make others around her better,” Bough said. “Emma is a natural leader. We are looking forward to her communication, effort and hard work to be contagious to those around on and off the court. We also are confident she will be a consistent part of both our offense and defense.”
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Sophia Frerking (junior middle hitter), Ashley Suter (junior outside hitter), Taitum Becker (senior defensive specialist) and Keylee Crawford (junior outside/right side) also return. Frerking (201) and Suter (142) were second and third on last year’s team in kills.
“We return a lot of our offense this season which is exciting. We are working on making it more efficient and diverse as a team. We also return players who played on the court last year and feel like they have unfinished business after that district game. They are extremely motivated and determined to ensure a different outcome at the end of season,” Bough said.
New players to watch include: Mya Highfill (sophomore outside hitter/right side), Evelyn Comstock (sophomore outside hitter/right side), Lizzie Davis (sophomore setter/right side), Natalie Gannon (sophomore outside hitter/right side), Halle Forester (freshman defensive specialist) and Sophia Venosdel (freshman right side).
Conditioning will be paramount for Strafford entering the second season of playing a best-of-five-set format.
“Conditioning is key. I also believe that being able to sustain that “competitive edge” is crucial to success in those long games,” Bough said. “We have really stressed the importance of conditioning and taking care of your body this last year. We have also emphasized the importance of ball control and being ‘in system’ more efficiently.”
Strafford will travel to Springfield Central for a jamboree on Aug. 25. The Indians open the season on Aug. 28 at the Branson Invitational.
“Our goals this season are to continuously improve each day and maintain our level of intensity each and every game. We try to instill in our kids that it is important to out-work and out-hustle others in everything they do,” Bough said. “We are excited to see our growth as the season goes and we will work to be competitive until the end.”
