The theme for the 2020 sports season will undoubtedly be ‘never take anything for granted.’
That sentiment couldn’t be any more accurate for Carl Junction senior outside hitter Salma Lewis, who entered her final season in the Bulldog volleyball program with 817 kills. After recording 466 kills in her junior season, Lewis was in prime position to make a run at the Carl Junction all-time kill record as well as breaking the 1000-kill mark as she entered her senior season.
On Sept. 17, Lewis reached the first of those goals after tying and setting the new Carl Junction all-time kill record as the Bulldogs swept McDonald County 3-0.
“It’s honestly such a great accomplishment that I couldn’t have done without my teammates throughout the years,” Lewis said. “I hold myself to a high standard, and to be able to accomplish that, it means a lot to me.”
After Carl Junction claimed the first set 25-18, Lewis earned a kill midway through the second set to make the score 16-13, setting the new school record for all-time kills with 861 in the process. Lewis surpassed Lexi Miller (2014-17), who held the previous record with 860.
“It says a lot about what she does on the court,” Carl Junction coach Cheryl Sharples said. “She is so effective with the amount of swings she takes. Night in and night out, we depend on that from her. She handles that well.”
A funny side note about Lewis breaking her school’s kill record, she wasn’t aware of it at the time. It wasn’t until Coach Sharples mentioned it to her on her next service run that Lewis was aware of her accomplishment.
“She had no idea,” Sharples said with a laugh. “I had a little countdown going on on the sidelines because we knew she was really close. As she got closer and closer, every time she took a swing, I thought, ‘Is this it? Is this going to be the moment for her?’
“When she actually broke it and was going back to serve, I threw her the ball and said, ‘Hey, congratulations. You just broke the school record for kills.’ She just said, ‘Really? I did?’ and that was it.”
“I knew it was coming up, and that I was getting close,” Lewis said. “I didn’t know I was that close. When she told me, it threw excitement at me and overwhelmed me with relief that I had accomplished something like that.”
After the Bulldogs won the second set 25-19, the rest of the Carl Junction squad was able to celebrate with Lewis in the team huddle in between games.
“The teammates I have had this year are probably the best I have had throughout my career,” Lewis said. “They are like family to me. It means a lot that they always have my back and they were able to celebrate that with me. It was fun.”
Speaking of teammates, Lewis was grateful for all of the players she was able to take the court with in her career. And for most strikers on the volleyball court, they are only as good as their setters. As a freshman, when Lewis finished with 110 kills, Sylvia Lawson was her setter. In her sophomore season, Lewis finished with 241 kills with Bre Maxwell as the setter.
“Each setter I have had throughout high school has been amazing,” Lewis said. “They were all great teammates. I couldn’t have done it without them, and along with the rest of my teammates, none of this would have even been possible without them”
During her junior and senior campaigns, Lewis has had Logan Jones, now a sophomore, as the Bulldogs’ setter. The relationship between those two is strong to say the least.
“Logan is a great setter,” Lewis said. “She is honestly one of the best ones I’ve ever played with. She is also a great teammate, and never fails to get me what I want. She is a great communicator, and if I ever need her to set it differently, she is open to change. She gives great advice and is a great setter.”
Lewis finished the night against the Mustangs with 866 career kills. The Bulldogs are coming off a third-place finish in the Springfield Classic with a 3-1 record — where Lewis and Jones both earned all-tournament team honors — with Lewis adding 40 more kills between those four matches to sit at 906 for her career.
The Bulldogs are scheduled for at least 10 more matches before the postseason, giving Lewis a real chance at becoming the first ever volleyball player to surpass the 1000-kill mark for her career in Carl Junction history. To say that would be special is an understatement.
“That would be the best thing ever,” Lewis said with a laugh. “I would be so proud. I know my team and my family are going to support me all the way. It would be an exciting moment that hopefully will happen.”
“That would be a pretty big deal in high school volleyball,” Sharples said. “That doesn’t happen a lot.”
Like every current high school and collegiate athlete, COVID-19 concerns have jeopardized athletic seasons all over the country. Carl Junction has had to postpone two matches this season because of COVID-19 protocols.
“It’s hard knowing something like this can be taken away,” Lewis said. “We all try to play each game like it is going to be our last because it literally could be. I am trying to take in each moment with the team. Every game counts for me.”
Knowing that her senior season could have been canceled — or still could be canceled — at any time, Lewis is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to set the kill record at Carl Junction, treasuring every chance she has to step on the floor in her Bulldog uniform.
“I am so grateful for every game we get,” Lewis said. “I am praying that we get to finish out this season because I know a lot of schools aren’t. We are wanting to get a district championship, and I know we could have a tough matchup in sectionals, but our main goal is to make it to state. We all have the same mindset, and it would mean so much to experience something like that with this team because we are all like family.
“We all love this sport and being together. Knowing it could have all been taken away from us, I think we are all more grateful for every game we get.”
