For the first time in a decade, the Joplin High School volleyball program has a new head coach.
Desiree Felker has officially taken the reins of the Eagles for the 2021 season.
Felker replaced Staci Saunders, who resigned at the conclusion of the 2020 season after spending the last 10 years in charge at JHS.
“The transition has been great,” Felker said. “I’ve really enjoyed making the transition. The girls have been excellent with the things we’ve asked them to do. They let us set the bar really high and they’re working hard to reach it. So that’s been exciting.”
Felker is no stranger to the area. She’s a Carl Junction graduate, where she was a standout player for the Bulldogs. Felker had a head coaching stint at Seneca and she’s been an assistant coach at both Carl Junction and Webb City.
With her prior coaching experience, Felker is well aware of what a season in the always-tough Central Ozark Conference is like.
“It makes me more comfortable that I know what we’re up against,” said Felker, who was at Webb City last year. “I know the teams we’re going to play and I know the style of volleyball in the COC. Having experience coaching in the COC has helped me prepare for the season and has helped me prepare our players for what we’re going up against.”
Felker has inherited an experienced group of returners from last year’s team that went 15-15-1 and finished as the district runner-up.
“We have a great group of upperclassmen who have done a great job of setting high expectations,” Felker said. “We have six seniors, six juniors and a strong group of sophomores who continually work to raise the bar.”
Seniors Allie Lawrence, Angelina Schramm, Kacy Coss and Emma Floyd all return after earning significant varsity action a year ago.
An outside hitter, Lawrence recorded 142 kills last fall. Schramm, a middle blocker/outside hitter, had 105 kills in ’20. An outside hitter, Coss contributed 76 kills, while middle blocker Floyd compiled 61 kills and 33 blocks.
Other seniors on the roster who are vying for varsity playing time are Logan Bruggeman (MH/OH) and Sydney Walker (DS).
Junior Paisley Parker also returns with plenty of varsity experience, and she’s expected to anchor Joplin’s defense from the libero position.
Other players who could contribute at the varsity level this season are setters Abby Hembree and Kaya Cooper, outside hitters Abby Edwards and Serafina Auberry, middle blocker Bailey Owens and defensive specialist Jayla Hunter. All of those players are juniors except Owens, who is a sophomore.
Playing with consistency and with confidence are keys to success for the Eagles, Felker noted.
“We have to work to get a little bit better everyday,” Felker said. “If we do that, the confidence and the consistency will take care of themselves.”
Felker is assisted by Brandi Shoemaker (varsity assistant), Lindsay DeWelt (JV coach) and Molly Hoover (freshman coach).
The Eagles will compete at Carthage’s jamboree on Aug. 24 and then kick off the regular season with a home date against Rogers-Heritage on Aug. 31.
Until then, the Eagles will continue to prepare for the ’21 season under the direction of their new head coach.
And if you ask Felker, there’s a lot to like about the Eagles.
“Practices are going well,” Felker said. “We’ve had a lot of growth since we’ve started. I love that the girls are willing to do whatever we ask them to do. They’re open-minded. They’re willing to get in the gym and work hard everyday and that makes my job easy. And they hold each other accountable at practice. I’m really excited to get the season going.”
