Willow Springs Volleyball returns four seniors for the upcoming season

Christina Collins returns to the helm as the Lady Bears return four seniors to the roster for the 2025 season.

 

Collins, who has been with the team since 2020 looks to the 2025 season after losing eight seniors. "There were six out of those eight seniors who saw a good amount of playing time if not starting every game for us last year. I am lucky to have some really good JV players that can step into the starters position of the seniors last year," explained Collins. "I will have Brylee Beltz, Allie Adams, and Neely Gilbert all coming from JV to step up. Emma Grogan and Zoey Bryan both had some varsity playing time last year, but they both will step up and be our passers for our Varsity this year. Emma Grogan will also have another job for varsity which will include setting."

 

As far as leadership is concerned, Collins stated that her four seniors all bring something very special to the team. "Paisley Crudgington will be one of our main hitters on the front row. Sydney Stuart will be a big hitter, but one of our main setters on the court. Emma Grogan has really made an impact on trying to keep the team up when things are not going so good, and I can see the impact it has had on the team. Lastly, Zoey Bryan and she is our quiet, calm player for our team and every volleyball team needs one of those players to keep everyone grounded."

 

Challenges the team will face will be the mental struggles every volleyball player faces. "Our team needs to keep our head up when things get a little rough. We started really focusing on this late summer and I saw a big improvement with the team overall," said Collins.

 

For opponents, Collins believes the two biggest opponents the team will face this season will be Cabool and Mountain Grove. "We will have to play our best against these two teams," Collins stated.