Though Carl Junction lost quite a bit of production to graduation from a year ago, there is still a bevy of talent returning to help the Bulldogs continue that winning tradition the program has grown accustomed to.
Carl Junction volleyball is synonymous with winning. In fact, you will be hard pressed to find the last time the Bulldogs lost more games than they won in a season. The reason for that is the culture built by Coach Cheryl Sharples over her tenure, which highlights the next-player-up mentality. Whoever is on the court is expected to know their jobs and produce. That mentality will be vital this season, and Sharples is excited to see how it plays out.
“I have really enjoyed this group in the offseason,” Sharples said. “I am looking forward to seeing how each player fits into the scheme of things. We have a mix of seasoned veterans and solid newcomers to the varsity level. I really like our culture right now. That is our main focus this season, re-establishing the culture of the program.”
Though Carl Junction lost all-state setter Lo Jones, now at Arkansas, OH Destiney Buerge, MH Adia Kennedy and DS Jocelyn Brown to graduation, the Bulldogs bring back five players with starting experience, seven total with varsity experience.
Seniors Kylie Scott (OH), Abigail Wilson (DS), Sara Buchele (DS), Aubreigh Fowler (MH) and junior Karissa Chase (RSH) highlight the returning starting experience, while senior setter Miya Carnes, senior MH Acadia Badgley and junior DS Jocelyn Wengert also bring back varsity experience.
“We have the potential to be very solid this season,” Sharples said. “We are really focusing on the ball control aspects of the game—serve-receive and defense.”
New additions to the varsity squad who are expected to make an impact include junior OH/MH DeShaye Buerge, sophomore S/RSH Jadyn Howard and sophomore DS Anna Lewis.
“We have very solid, aggressive servers, we will look to that to take teams out of their offense,” Sharples said when asked what she felt was going to be the strength of her team this season.
“I believe we have the ability to be a solid serve receive team. Both of those skills will allow us to use our offensive kids well. We have returning hitters with varsity experience in Scott, Chase, Fowler and added players like Badgley, Buerge and Wilson for more offensive output. That combination could lead to a successful season.”
Of course, each season has its own concerns. For Carl Junction, it’s just a matter of inexperience at some positions. Fortunately, the returning veterans provide the leadership necessary for the transition to go as seamless as possible.
Carl Junction kicks off the season in the Nevada Invitational on Aug. 26.
