The Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers had no seniors on last year’s volleyball roster.
With that, the Cavaliers enter the 2022 season with a veteran lineup and high expectations.
“We are very excited for the upcoming season,” Cavaliers coach Dave Soetaert told SoMo Sports. “Returning a group with good varsity experience and adding two more athletes with good potential has us working even harder than usual.”
Thomas Jefferson’s returning players are senior middle hitter/outside hitter Nico Carlson, senior defensive specialist Yasmina Mokhtar, junior setter Mary Nguyen, junior outside hitter Alexis Stamps, junior defensive specialist Nayab Rehman, sophomore middle blocker/middle hitter Lannah Grigg, sophomore setter Leah Studer and sophomore outside hitter Maggie Sutton.
Carlson earned first-team all-Ozark 7 honors last season, while Grigg was an honorable mention all-conference performer.
The Cavaliers have two newcomers who Soetaert expects to contribute nicely — junior middle hitter Gabbi Hiebert and sophomore outside hitter Macie Shifferd.
With an experienced and battle-tested roster, and with the promising additions to the team, Soetaert is confident the Cavaliers have the pieces in place to put together a stellar season.
“I expect to compete with everyone,” he said. “Wins and losses will be settled on the court, but our program is now capable of giving everyone a run for their money. We have varsity game experience that we’ll need to transition into better decisions.”
Soetaert added overall team depth is a strength of the Cavaliers this fall.
“We have good balance at all positions,” he said. “We have 10 girls competing for six spots. That will help to push everyone to be their best every day.”
Soetaert noted the team’s key to success is simple.
“The key for us will be how fast we can gel as a group and how fast we can bring the newcomers up to speed,” he said.
The Cavaliers, who hope to top last year’s 13-15-3 record, open the season at the Verona Invitational on Aug. 27.
The team’s first home game is scheduled for Aug. 29 against Purdy.
