The end of the regular season draws near in Missouri and the Blue Springs Wildcats loom as a favorite to win the Class 4 state volleyball championship.
"I think our team really has a good chance of winning state," said Blue Springs middle hitter Lisa Henning. "We have a lot of talent this year, and having six seniors really makes our team smart on the court. Our team is tough to beat because we have a strong player in basically in every position. We are quick and we are all very competitive."
Henning is one of the top reasons why the Wildcats have a chance to win the state championship. The Wildcats are 19-4 on the season and ranked No. 2 in the state coaches poll behind St. Joseph’s Academy; however, Blue Springs defeated highly ranked Bishop Miege of Kansas earlier this year and also has a recent win over Lee’s Summit West.
"Those are the two toughest teams," said Henning. "They are both really tough teams to beat because they have a lot of remarkable players and coaches."
Wildcats coach Katie Grusing says that Henning’s all-around ability makes her one of the top players in the state and a potential standout at the collegiate level.
"Lisa’s quickness and her versatility are her aces in the hole," Grusing said. "She’ll hammer a quick set on the 10-foot line, then while facing left back put a shot to within one inch of the right sideline, then tip a ball over a block to score a big point. That being said, it is truly Lisa’s blocking prowess that makes me convinced she will be a force at the next level."
Last year, Henning finished with 310 kills and added 70 blocks and 16 aces. She also played club ball over the summer with KC Extreme and took first place at the pre-national tournament in Aurora, Ill.
"We didn't do as well as we wanted to do at nationals but we still didn't play horrible," said Henning. "These two tournaments were very fun for our team and we had a great time. I love my club team very much. We are all basically like sisters."
Henning has already committed to play volleyball at the University of Missouri next season.
"The recruiting process has been crazy," she said. "I've gotten a lot of letters from many great colleges and it was very hard just choosing one. The hardest part was deciding on a top five, then down to three. They all have great programs and great coaches (all in the Big 12). In the end, Missouri was the one I loved most."
Henning has been playing volleyball since she was 9 years old, participating in the Blue Springs Recreation League. Her mother was her coach and she remembers her first club tryouts when she was 11.
"I remember how much I loved playing and how I never thought I would grow up and still have the same passion for the game," said Henning.
Playing under coach Amy Drawe, Henning developed her all-around skills and her knowledge of the game.
"She has taught me basically everything I know. She's been my coach since I was 13 and still is," said Henning. "She has always pushed me to be a better player. She's taught me not only the skills of the game but to recognize what the other players are doing and learn from what they do. She's helped me a lot with my mental part of the game."
Henning began to draw national attention when she was 15. She played on a club team that reached the national championship game and she also began to match her skills in summer camps against the best in the country.
"I went to the Oklahoma University volleyball camp when I was 15 and I would start playing against some of their players, and I could hang with them," she said. "I think that then I realized that I could be as good as them with experience and maturing.
"My most memorable moment was when I was 15 and at nationals my team made it to the open championship game. Even though we didn't come out first, we still had that memory of playing in front of all those people and knowing that we were one of the top two teams in the nation."
Grusing said that she has no doubts that Henning will succeed at the next level.
"Lisa has worked extremely hard to build herself into a superb well-rounded player," she said. "With her natural talent, it would be easy for her to depend on her front-row play to carry her, but she is not satisfied with anything that is half-way; she has worked hard in practice to prove that she can pass and play defense as good as anyone."
And if volleyball doesn’t work out, Grusing said that a possible singing career could be in the works.
"If she opts for a quick career change, Lisa can go on the road as a freestyle rapper/choreographer," Grusing said good-naturedly. "So far, she and one of her teammates have a song and dance about the end of practice, the most preferable places to ride on the bus, the journey to team camp and the efficiency of Blue Springs volleyball. I’m talking footwork, beats, claps, words – the works."
For now, Henning is just looking forward to a strong finish to the current season.
"My goals for this season are to have fun during my senior year and just play hard and hopefully to win state," she said. "The best thing about playing high school volleyball is that I play with five of my best friends since middle school. We just really cherish every moment we have and it’s just really great to have the people you love on your team pushing you to be a better player."