By Morgan Guyer

Two years ago, the Maryville Volleyball Team took first place at the Class 3 State Tournament, beating Central 3-0,  bringing home their first state championship in program history.

Last year was a different story, as the team went through a re-building season, finishing 11-18. Now, after starting the season with a 3-1 win over St. Joseph Benton on August 29, there is every indication that this will be a much improved team. Head Coach Bailey Cook was glad to start the season with a victory.

“It’s always a great feeling to get the first victory of the season in the first game, and even more so when it’s in our home gym,” Cook said. “It’s exciting and hopefully it’s a preview of what is still to come in the rest of the season.”

Maryville jumped out to the 2-0 lead over Benton, showcasing their improved hitting skills. Benton would take the third set, with the Spoofhounds finally wrapping it up in the fourth.

“One of the biggest things we worked on over the summer was creating more hitting options for our setters,” Cook said, “That means we needed more girls to step up and be able to hit the ball controlled and hard, that way we can spread the blockers out away from Rylee, and last night we proved that we can do that.”

Senior outside hitter Rylee Vierthaler is looking to have another big year for the Spoofhounds, as she is their go-to player, but Cook knows that other girls will need to step up as well.

“Yesterday we brought a lot of energy to the game. It helps us win games, as we saw that in the third set with a lower level of energy, but the girls were able to bring it right back to win the match,” Cook said.