College Heights volleyball to feature young group
Aug. 26—Even though the core group returning is full of youth, College Heights volleyball coach Mary Colin believes there's a lot of upside to this year's team.
"I only have two returning varsity players and they were both part-time varsity players last season," Colin said. "They are now six-rotation players and play all the way around. They are joined by a handful of really great athletes. We are not 6-foot tall, but we are very athletic. We have all these talented athletes that are coming together for the first time on the varsity court."
"It's going to be interesting to watch their growth this season."
The Cougars will rely on a quartet of juniors, including Lauren Ukena, Addie Lawrence, Lindsay Griesemer and Ava Masena. Colin's daughter, Maddy, will step up and see a larger role as a sophomore this fall.
College Heights' core group looks to replace an impactful senior class last year, featuring the likes of Lainey Lett, Catie Secker, Layne Jackson and Emma Woodford. Those four led the Cougars to a 24-4 season and third straight Ozark 7 conference title.
College Heights captured its first district title in a decade before falling to Lesterville in the quarterfinal round of the Class 1 state tournament.
Ukena played defensive specialist for the Cougars last year, while Lawrence was a right side hitter. Colin looks for more contributions from those two as six-rotation players this fall.
"They are both very powerful hitters," Colin said. "Everyone is going to notice how well they hit the ball. They hit the ball hard. They are both really aggressive servers and serve really well from the end line."
Colin said Masena will be the team's libero, and Griesemer will serve as an outside hitter and play all around
"Ava's an amazing leader. Vocal. She communicates with the team," Colin said. "And of course, she digs and passes really well for us. Lindsay is super aggressive and really energetic. She hits the ball hard, brings a lot of enthusiasm and hard work to the court."
Colin expects additional contributions from junior Marley Woodford, sophomore Katie Moss and freshman Libby Fanning.
The Cougars will run a 5-1 with Maddy Colin as the setter. Of course, Colin is looking forward to the opportunity to coach her daughter full-time at the varsity level.
"She's really fun to coach," Colin said. "She is the sister of Emmy Colin, who most people know. They are two completely different human beings. Maddy is built differently. They play different positions. Emmy was a libero, but Maddy is a setter. Emmy was a catcher, but Maddy is a pitcher. Emmy was a guard, but Maddy is a wing-guard or a forward. It's fun to coach a setter after coaching Emmy as a libero for years now."
College Heights competed in the Golden City jamboree on Tuesday. The Cougars open the season at Lockwood on Sept. 2.
"Last year I knew what I was getting, but this is a whole new group," Colin said. "It's hard to measure that. It's hard to measure our opponents. Where is our competition level right now? Is it up or is it down? With that said, they will definitely be shooting for a conference championship. They will definitely be shooting for a second district championship.
"I think they are going to be a team that just keeps improving all year. In two weeks of practice, they have improved."
