By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Bridgett Schmutz is entering her tenth season as head coach at Mt. Vernon and the Mountaineers have seen a lot of wins in that time, with five 20-win seasons, including last year’s 23-10 edition that brought home the program’s first district title in more than a decade.
“There were so many emotions going into last season; we’ve battled key injuries, tough district draws, coming up short in the championship games too many times to want to recount,” said Schmutz. “We knew if we could stay healthy with the added stressor of COVID that our team could do something special. I’ve never wanted anything more for my players and that win was huge for our program, it was shared with all those teams that came before them as well. Getting that first district title in over a decade, our team knows what it takes and they are hungry for more.”
Now the mean green will look to reload behind five returning starters, making expectations around the program extremely high.
Senior Cameryn Cassity is back after finishing second on the team with 283 kills in 2020. Despite being undersized, she’s been an All-Big 8 and All-District middle. Classmate Solai Pham was also an All-Big 8 pick, finishing second with 369 digs last season as a defensive specialist.
“Cam is a gamer, the bigger the stage, the better she plays,” said Schmutz. “What she is able to do as a 5’7 middle blocker is pretty incredible. The talent has always been there for Cam but last season she found a new level of work ethic and that continues to grow she busted it in the gym and the weight room this summer. Cameryn has the ability to keep us in every ball game this year and is a player you want on your side of the net.
“So is a player that you can’t take your eyes off of. She never, ever quits. The ball may find the floor against her once or twice but she makes such great adjustments and reads so well that she makes the other teams hitters find different ways to beat our defense. She is the energy to our team, the most hype player for every play. She too is a great communicator, always talking to our hitters seeing the other side of the net.”
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Fellow seniors Raegan Boswell, Grace Bushman and Hadley Cornell are also back in the fold.
Boswell was a jack of all trades last year, finishing with 150 kills, 166 digs and 139 assists. She’ll slide into the full-time setting role this season.
Bushman brings size (5-11) to the net and athleticism, totaling 70 kills and 20 blocks as a junior. Cornell returns as one of the area’s top servers with 53 aces as a junior.
All three are extremely experienced players.
“Rae is a natural born leader. She is a player that is good at every skill on the volleyball floor. When she is on the floor you know you are getting her very best; she plays with fire, is a great communicator and most importantly, she is a true competitor. Rae is gritty, plays great defense and has high expectations for herself, much like her predecessor (Lacy Stokes).
“Grace brings height to our front row which is not something we have a lot of at Mt. Vernon, her 5’11 frame allows her to put up a nice block and we are excited to see Grace have a break-out season this year. Had has literally played every position on the floor in her career. A JV setter and middle, libero and this past season she played opposite Boswell as our OH2. Hadley can score a lot of points very quickly with her aggressive serve.”
Schmutz is also excited about the growth of senior Hailey Eldridge, sophomore Payge Evans and freshman Cheyenne Bieber.
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Eldridge is healthy after missing significant time throughout her high school career with injuries. Evans is another defensive specialist that should see playing time in the back row. Bieber is a big-time athlete that figures to make an instant impact at the net.
After having a taste of what the postseason is like, Mt. Vernon will have to replace a talented senior class quickly if they want to make the elusive Final Four run.
Schmutz is hopeful their experience and fight will allow this team to build off last year’s historic season.
“We just have kids that don’t quit,” said Schmutz. “These girls come into the gym and battle every day, every team I’ve had the privilege to coach has had those kinds of kids. They have great support systems at home, they have high expectations in everything they do and when you are working with good people, you show up every day and put in the work and good things happen.
“We don’t have the fire-power or size that a lot of top level teams have but the game of volleyball is S+P, as we call it, serve and pass. So if we can eliminate unforced errors and be playing our best ball come mid October I’ll take our chances in any game.”
Mt. Vernon will host a jamboree on Aug. 24. The ‘Neers will open the 2021 season on Aug. 28 at the Branson Invitational.
