The North Callaway Ladybirds return a lot of experience, with most playing the first two seasons of coach Andrew Klein’s tenure.
“My first year, we started a lot of freshmen and sophomores on varsity, and now they’re juniors and seniors,” Klein said. “They’re getting the same varsity run that they’ve had the last few years. So we have high expectations. We want to be able to compete for conference, and the girls get better every single day. It’s more player-led now, I think because it means something to them. I’m just excited for this year.”
North Callaway’s returning starters are libero Riley Blevins, outside hitters Natalie Shryock, Rylee Horstman and Avis Endres and setters Jaden Smithee and Lakyn Hartley.
Blevins made first-team all-conference last season, and Shryock was also one of the top players in the Eastern Missouri Conference. According to MaxPreps, Shryock recorded conference highs in hit percentage (.248), kills (163), serving aces (50) and blocks (nine) while finishing second in digs (22).
Meanwhile, Smithee will replace 2023 graduate Ellie Pezold, who led the EMO in assists with 205 a season ago, as North Callaway’s primary setter.
“She’s gonna be a big part of our success this year,” Klein said.
Blevins, Shryock and Smithee may come into this season with high expectations, but Klein mentioned all of his starters and role players as being key.
Bailey Hill, North Callaway’s starting middle blocker in 2022, tore her ACL playing volleyball this summer. Hill broke the Ladybirds’ single-season block record as a sophomore last year.
“She’s not going to be able to play with us,” Klein said. “She’ll be at games and definitely be a vocal player-coach, which is going to help me out a little bit. We’re gonna get her healthy and ready to go, so she can have a great senior year. We’re a little bummed about that. But she’s going to be with us, and she’s still part of the team.”
While it’s unfortunate for Hill to miss an entire campaign, an exciting opportunity has arisen for Alexandra Craighead and Ainsley Marx, who played junior varsity last season, to show what they can do as a middle blocker.
“There’s some competition there for that middle block position, now that Bailey’s out, but I’m gonna let that competition grow and grow and grow until I have to pick a starter,” Klein said.
Craighead is one of seven or eight freshmen who played on North Callaway’s inaugural middle school volleyball team that went 7-1 last season.
The Ladybirds’ strong freshmen class is joined by a group of upperclassmen who have taken on leadership roles.
“They’ve matured tenfold, and I’m kind of leaning on them to run the show while I just tried to put them in good places to succeed,” Klein said.
Additionally, Klein credited Ladybirds assistant Rachel Boulware, who has been helpful in the program’s success.
“Her willingness and eagerness to be the life of the team is unmatched!” Klein said.
Leadership qualities will only help North Callaway in Eastern Missouri Conference matchups, which have greater importance this year as Intensity Prep left the conference, and only four teams are in it.
North Callaway recorded a program-record 12 wins overall and went 1-7 in the EMO a season ago. The Ladybirds won their first conference game in six seasons when they beat Wright City on Sept. 27 in Kingdom City.
Montgomery County went 6-0 to win the EMO last season, while Bowling Green finished 5-3 and Wright City went 4-4.
“Bowling Green has been really good,” Klein said. “They play really well against us, typically. They’re somebody that we competed with last year, took a set or two from them, but never quite get the whole thing done. We really want to get back at them.
“The big one, Montgomery County, I think they probably won conference the last two or three years; it could be even longer than that,” Klein said. “…We played them in districts last year, the first round, and they did beat us, and they swept us. But something the girls remember is that first set went; I think we ended up losing 28-26 in the first set, and we had them on the ropes there. We didn’t quite get the job done.
“But I think for us, they’re so well coached, but that’s always going to be a competition for us. Always going to be circled. It doesn’t matter how talented or not they are; that’s a game that I know that we play our best, and we’d like to compete with them.”
Klein expects North Callaway to do better in the EMO in 2023.
“Now, I think that instead of going for one conference win, we’re thinking let’s win them all,” Klein said. “I think that’s how much we’ve improved in the summer. We’re just excited to be able to play good teams in our conference that are meaningful games.”
The Ladybirds’ unofficial start to the season is today when they participate in the Centralia Jamboree at 5:30 p.m. at Centralia High School. North Callaway faces Tolton at 5:30 p.m. and Boonville at 6 p.m.
“I’ve heard really good things from people in the community about them playing and being involved in travel teams and stuff like that,” Klein said. “I just think that’s how you really get better. There’s only so many days that you can play as a school in the summer, and I know the girls worked really hard to be a team and unify this summer and get better on their own accord. I just applaud that because that just shows maturity. I’m hoping that helps us take a step in the right direction.”
North Callaway’s Jaden Smithee chases down a ball during a summer scrimmage at Hallsville High School. Smithee will start as a setter for the Ladybirds this year. (Mexico Ledger/Jeremy Jacob)