By Chris Parker
Pleasant Hope doubled its win total from nine two years ago to 18 in 2024.
This year’s team returns eight players who saw action in at least one varsity set last season.
“Our biggest strength will be how coachable these girls are,” Pleasant Hope head coach Ashlee Pulley said. “They will do anything that is asked of them. Each of them brings a unique strength to the table that complements the others. We graduated several key players from last season and as our current staff each step into new roles, they are doing so with grace. They are encouraging to each other and all of those things have to come from within them. It is a testament to their parents how each one of them interacts with each other and with me. They are a great, well-rounded group of kids that truly enjoy the game. Several of the girls are self-identified “hype girls” and it really brings our group together to keep a light tone when things get a little sideways. We have a family mentality and are a close-knit group.”
Lily Lambeth (senior OH/DS), Loraine Arciniegas (senior libero), Gracie Pulley (senior MB) and Kylee Agee (senior DS) all return after playing in at least 95 of the 99 sets last season.
Lily Lambeth earned first-team all-conference honors last season. She led the team with 353 kills while contributing 344 digs and 243 serve receptions.
“Lily will play her third season with us as a six-rotation player,” Coach Pulley said. “She has an explosive swing in the front row and an aggressive serve. She is a large presence in the back row as well. She has put in an incredible amount of time in the off season, and it shows in her grit on the court. Several schools are pursuing her to play at the collegiate level.”
Arciniegas was named honorable mention all-conference after she led Pleasant Hope in digs (397) and was second in serve receptions (398).
“Loraine will return as a fourth-year varsity player in the role of libero for both our middles,” Coach Pulley said. “Her speed and agility on the court is going to keep our back row aggressive in both serve receive and our defense. She also brings a consistent serve. Loraine has a positive attitude and a killer work ethic.”
Gracie Pulley was a force at the net with 52 total blocks as a junior.
“Gracie will return as a middle blocker this season,” Coach Pulley said. “She brings a big block to our defense being one of the tallest on our squad and is honing in her swing to be more aggressive in her attack. She moves aggressively in coverage to pick up balls off the opponent’s block.”
Agee had 181 digs and 242 serve receptions.
“Kylee is graduating a year early, so she is entering her second full varsity season as a DS,” Coach Pulley said. “She is quick in defense and has an aggressive serve. She hustles on the court and though she is not blessed with height, she has an explosive swing and plays solid front row defense when given the opportunity in the front row.”
Marley Bader is also back for her junior season. She played in 57 sets last season as she splits her fall between volleyball and club soccer.
“Marley is a shared athlete with club soccer during our season,” Pulley said. “Being that she is a soccer phenom, there are some conflicts, and she is missed terribly on our court when she’s gone. She is a valuable leader on our court and does a phenomenal job seeing open holes in the opponent’s court in order to score without being flashy. She has grown tremendously in her passing and defense as well.”
The team graduated a second-team all-conference setter, so Orrianna Mehl (sophomore) and Abigail Fitzlaff (junior) will be in line to run the offense at setter.
“Losing last year’s senior Arwen Mehl as our setter in a 5-1 has created the need for two underclassmen to step into this role,” Coach Pulley said. “Abigail and Orrianna ran a 6-2 on JV last year and this summer each ran a 5-1 with our squad at different times. They will join together to run our offense this season. Orrianna is following in her big sister’s footsteps and will be the only underclassmen on our varsity squad. She has been diligent in her training this summer in order to gain as much varsity time as possible. Abigail returns to varsity this season after getting some exposure last year as an opposite hitter when we played different rotations in the absence of one of our middles last season.”
Kara Williams (junior OH), Katelynn Smith (junior OH), Evelyn Raylyanu (junior DS), Brooklynn Keck (junior DS) and Kendall Martin (junior OPP) will all be looking for varsity time as well.
Coach Pulley on Williams: “Kara saw some varsity time last season as an opposite and will be continuing her growth this season as she continues to embrace her role as a middle on JV but will compete for the role as an outside hitter full time on varsity. Kara is a vocal leader on the court and brings the energy of our team up from both the court and the bench. She embodies the big bench energy mantra and brings anyone who will come along with her.”
Coach Pulley on Smith: “Katelynn also saw a few varsity sets last season and is continuing her growth as a middle on JV, but she will see time both as an opposite and OH this season. She has an aggressive swing and is very capable of being a six-rotation player as she grows this season.”
Coach Pulley on Raylyanu: “Evelyn will see time on the floor as a DS this season. After some time on the varsity court last season, she hopes to gain even more after her continued growth over the summer. She is quick and has a never-quit attitude. Evelyn, much like Kara, embodies the big bench energy, she is a versatile player who does anything that is asked of her. She is a vocal leader on the court and challenges others to be their best self and stay positive. She brings a consistent serve to our lineup as well.”
Coach Pulley on Keck: “Brooklynn will be completely new to our varsity bench, but she has challenged herself to be better each day. She hustles hard and has really locked in to effectively read the ball in serve receive and defense. Her increased maturity throughout the offseason and this summer has brought her to be ready to step into a varsity role.”
Coach Pulley on Martin: “Kendall will also be new to our varsity bench, but brings an aggressive swing and willingness to learn. She hopes to develop her block and gain some time in the opposite role especially when we are down a middle and have to move some things around. She really started blooming at the end of last season on JV and has found her swing and challenged herself this summer to earn more time on the varsity court.”
Many players will have to step up into new roles for the Lady Pirates to be successful this season.
“I think the area they will need to improve the most is their collective confidence both individually and as a team,” Coach Pulley said. “Many of them have been overshadowed by an older sibling or upperclassman until this year and when they can unleash their full potential and believe in themselves as much as I believe in them, I truly believe that greatness will follow. With confidence comes that aggressiveness in always looking for ways to score and knowing they are capable of winning.”
Pleasant Hope travels to Pierce City for a jamboree on Aug. 26 with the host Eagles, Ash Grove and East Newton. The Lady Pirates open the regular season on Aug. 30 at the Stockton Invitational.
“Each season since I took over in 2022, we have consistently won more games each year, from 3 to 9 to 18 last season,” Pulley said. “I would love to see a 20-win season from us. With the right mix of kids on the floor and the grit I know they have, I think we can do it.”
