Lafayette High's volleyball team is enjoying a dominant season in Missouri, and last week's victory in the Notre Dame Academy tournament. Melanie Crow, Lily Johnson, Stephanie Campbell and Maggie Scott (from left to right) all earned All-Tournament Team recognition.
Courtesy photo
The hottest high school girls volleyball team in the country just might be
Lafayette (Wildwood, Mo.).
In winning the Notre Dame Academy Tournament in Quincy (Ill.) last weekend, the No. 6-ranked Lancers remained unbeaten in 32 matches this season and 41 over two seasons. They also ran their streak of consecutive game victories to 65. They have won all 64 games they have played this season.
Lafayette last lost a game during the state title match, which the Lancers won 2-1 to start their overly impressive winning streak.
The Lancers' last lost more than a year ago (on Oct. 22 to Edwardsville, Ill.). They last lost to a Missouri team on Sept. 23, 2011 (2-0 to Oakville). That's a stretch of more than 50 matches.
While the Lancers' match-winning streak is impressive and the game winning streak is as well, it's the way the Lancers are winning that is grabbing attention. They aren't just winning matches. They are dominating every team they play. Lafayette has defeated top 1- teams from four states.
In taking the gold at Notre Dame last weekend, the Lancers outscored their opponents 250-118. They beat a very good 31-4 Mater Dei (Breese, Ill.) squad in the finals 25-18, 25-14, after blowing past 26-7 Bloomington Catholic 25-11, 25-14 in the semifinals.
The last time a team scored 20 points in a game against the Lancers was back on Sept. 15 when St. Borgia (Washington, Mo.) scored 21. The Lancers took the match 2-0 by winning the other game 25-9. Only four opponents have scored more than 19 points in a game against Lafayette this season.
Zach Young has his team blitzing its waythrough Missouri this season.
Courtesy photo
Most opponents rarely score 15 against Lafayette, which has an enrollment of 2,200. Some say the key to the Lancers' success is the speed in which they pass and react.
First-year coach Zach Young says it's something different.
"No doubt, the main strength is chemistry," said Young. "We have 13 on the team and every player accepts her role. The kids have figured it out. No kids on the bench have thrown in the towel."
Ask any coach and they'll tell you there is no recipe for chemistry.
"If you could bottle it and sell it, I'd be a millionaire," said Young, who teaches physical education and health at a nearby middle school.
Young, however, thinks maturity is another key to the Lancers' chemistry, noting that last year's team was 26-5 and won a state title with many of his players. Eight Lancer seniors have played together on school and club teams since they were young.
Stephanie Campbell, MVP at the Quincy Tournament and committed to Auburn, says it's a combination of things.
"We run our offense so fast, plus we've played together for so long, we just know one another that much better," said the 6-2 Campbell. "We're friends off the court, too, and just have a lot of fun being together."
Other keys to Lafayette's success are the team's height, with at least eight players 5-11 or taller.
Campbell, a middle blocker, is just one of a half-dozen Division-I recruits on the Lancers roster. Others include 6-1 senior opposite hitter
Melanie Crow (Ole Miss), 5-10 junior setter
Maggie Scott (Oregon), 5-11 junior outside hitter
Lily Johnson (Missouri State) and
Maddie Jones, a 6-2 senior middle blocker-outside hitter who has committed to Central Missouri.
Juniors
Jackie Scott, a 5-11 outside hitter (and Maggie's twin) and 6-foot middle blocker
Brenna Griffey are attracting a lot of attention.
"Our size enables us to match up with anybody," said Young. "And we have so much talent. We have a lot of kids who don't start who would start at other places and get more sets and more attention from the media."
Having graduated just three seniors from the 2011 state title winning team, Young knew coming in he had a talented group.
"There's not much of a difference from this year's team and last, other than the experience," said Young. "These girls are used to the team speed, the mental approach of the game and are ready for competition each night.
"But maybe they have surpassed even what we had set out to do," he added. "We've had a few balls fall our way, whereas in the past, maybe not."
The Lancers were expected to win the always tough Suburban-West League championship. They did, winning all eight games in convincing fashion, outscoring their opponents at a 2-1 ratio. In addition to the Lancers, the SWL has three other teams ranked among the state's top 25.
The Lancers were expected to be ranked among the state's top teams. In Division 4, they are ranked No. 1 and have beaten the second-, third-, sixth- and tenth-ranked teams.
The Lancers were expected to be the No. 1 seed when District play opens Tuesday and they are.
They've also set their season goal to win another state title, as well as go unbeaten.
"That's our goal," said Campbell, who has a kill ratio of 58 percent. "We just want to continue what we're doing."
Young pointed out that though the goals are to repeat as state champions and go unbeaten, "it isn't something we talk about. We'll let others talk about it. For us, we're focused on each match. I know it is a cliché, but with so many seniors, we are focusing on the journey. We really work on one day at a time, whether it is practice or a match.
"These girls just strive every single day to get better for one another."
Though there is no coaching manual for team chemistry, the Lancers' desire to win for one another is certainly an integral part of their extraordinary 2012 accomplishments.
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