CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — The moment Carl Junction coach Cheryl Sharples graduated from college, she set a lofty goal for herself as she headed into her career as an educator and volleyball coach.
“A long time ago, as a kid, I kind of said, ‘I think I want to win 500 games,’” Sharples said with a smile. “So, that was kind of the goal coming out of college.”
On Thursday, Sharples reached that career milestone, notching her 500th win as a head coach when her Bulldogs defeated McDonald County 25-8, 25-11 and 25-6 in front of a standing ovation from the home crowd.
“It means I have coached a lot of volleyball games, for sure,” Sharples said with a smile when asked what the 500th win means to her. “Most importantly, (I cherish) the relationships and the people I’ve met through volleyball. … It’s amazing. I have been very blessed to have some really great teams and great kids who bought into my program and kept it successful.”
Sharples started her volleyball coaching career at Purdy (1997-2002) before stops at Odessa (2002-04), Diamond (2005-10) and Carthage (2010-2016) ultimately led her to Carl Junction. In her career, Sharples has coached nine district championship teams and four Elite Eight squads.
“I love the game of volleyball,” Sharples said when asked about her passion for coaching. “I really do. It’s just an amazing game and a great team game. I fell in love with it a long time ago and just kept that passion.
“It’s the kids, too. It really is. I have been so lucky to coach such great kids. Watching them grow as players is always really exciting for me.”
WIN NO. 500
Carl Junction started the night in control and never wavered. The Bulldogs went to work in service early and built a suffocating 16-3 lead off a kill from Destiny Buerge. The momentum carried on through the first set with Jessa Hylton ending the game with an ace in service.
The second set was closer in the onset, as the Mustangs built an 8-6 lead with seven of those points coming on CJ errors. The Bulldogs used a seven-point service run Kylie Scott to regain the momentum and the lead, 12-8. Abigale Wilson highlighted the run with two kills, while Hylton added a kill and Scott added an ace.
A three-point run by Delani Mertens in service pushed the lead to 18-10, with Logan Jones and Hylton earning kills before Mertens delivered an ace. After a pair of sideouts, CJ rattled off six straight points with Hylton in service. Hylton had two aces, with Scott and Maisen McCluney earning kills.
“We just really encouraged them going into the third game to stay really disciplined in what we do,” Sharples said. “We can’t let what is happening on the other side of the net affect that.”
The Bulldogs jumped out to an 8-1 lead in the third set on the back of a five-point service run from Hylton that featured an ace and kills from Scott and Jones. After building a 23-6 lead, Mertens finished off Sharples’ 500th win with back to back aces.
STATS
Hylton led Carl Junction with nine kills and seven aces, while Scott added five kills and five aces. Buerge had eight digs and four kills, while Jones added four kills, a team-high 20 assists and three aces in service. Maggie Brown added six aces.
WHAT’S NEXT?
With Coach Sharples and her Bulldogs set to square off against Carthage on Tuesday, she was asked what the new number was for career wins she wanted to reach. After a laugh, a quick ponder and with a smile on her face, Sharples replied, “Well, we won’t set one of those just yet.”
Additional Photographs
