By William for www.mcpherson-county-ks.com

            MOUNDRIDGE – For the Moundridge volleyball team to improve for the 2022 season, consistency will be the key word and sign to watch for.

            In 2021 the Lady Wildcats finished 13-22 overall and just 6-12 in league play with the highlight being a third-place finish in the Belle Plaine Tournament.

            “We had a group of hard-working girls,” noted head coach Brooke Bumgarner. “We just could not play consistent throughout the whole night of any match.”

            To find success in her second year as the head coach, Bumgarner will need to replace the top player from 2021 as Kat          e Eichelberger who has moved on to play volleyball at Bethel College.

            The cupboard is not totally bare though as Bumgarner will return six Lady Wildcats with plenty of varsity experience, five who are seniors.

            Among those seniors will be Emily and Aubree Durst who combined to score 558 digs in 2021 while Emily recorded 603 assists and Aubree had 166 kills to go with 34 aces. Kindall Elmore  had 111 kills to go with 228 digs and Avery Rice, the team’s returning Libero, scored 158 digs while earning 223 serve receptions. The fifth senior is Reese Schmidt who made 47 blocks and recorded 18 aces last fall.

            Kaelyn Wedel is just a junior and made 84 kills while blocking 28 balls as a sophomore.

            Bumgarner concluded her pre-season reflections by stating, “Our team lost a senior who was a big part of our offense so we will have to work to fill that void and have other members step up offensively. We have a good group of girls who will work hard and be competitive.”

            The Lady Wildcats opens their 2022 season on Saturday, August 27 with a tournament at Inman.

            2022 LADY WILDCATS TOP RETURNEES:

  • SENIORS = Emily Durst, Aubree Durst, Kindall Elmore, Reese Schmidt, and Avery Rice,
  • JUNIORS = Kaelyn Wedel.

LADY WILDCAT 2022 VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE:

  • Saturday, August 27 – Tournament at Inman
  • Thursday, September 1 – At Hutchinson Trinity
  • Tuesday, September 6 – At Marion
  • Saturday, September 10 – Tournament at Goessel
  • Tuesday, September 13 – at Bennington
  • Thursday, September 15 – at Douglass (quad with Chaparral & Goessel
  • Tuesday, September 20 – Home Meet with Sedgwick
  • Tuesday, September 27 – at Sterling
  • Thursday, September 29 – at Hillsboro
  • Saturday, October 1 – Tournament at Belle Plaine
  • Tuesday, October 4 – Home Meet with Berean Academy
  • Tuesday, October 11 – at Remington
  • Tuesday, October 18 – Home Meet with Inman (Parent’s Night)
  • Saturday, October 22 – Sub-State
  • Friday, October 28 & Saturday, October 29 – State Meet at Dodge City

(William is a free-lance writer covering McPherson County Activities – he can be reached at crossdovewriter@gmail.com)