Led by only two seniors, the Cassville volleyball team finished a youthful season with a 10-20-1 record, enjoying a district playoff win and a year of growth for the program.

Cassville High School volleyball coach Paige Huddleston said the 2025 season was marked by growth, resilience and a sense of completion for a group she has coached from freshman year to graduation.

“I have loved every season since I started at Cassville, but this year was definitely special,” Huddleston said. “I think the main reason was my two seniors were freshman when I started. It was bittersweet for me, because I’ve had all these kids from start to finish now, and we’ve grown together throughout the past four years. It was a great season altogether.”

Huddleston said the biggest improvement throughout the season came from the team’s ability to handle change.

“I think this group saw the most improvement in embracing and balancing change,” Huddleston said. “We battled illness and injuries all season long, which caused a lot of moving pieces from the freshman team all the way to varsity.

“These girls approached every challenge head on, and towards the end of season, they were really handling all the changes and adjustments more steadily. In a sport where every position is vital and effective, last second changes can be hard to overcome, but I really feel we handled it better as the season progressed.”

Huddleston said where adaptability thrived, consistency in play came at a premium.

“[I would have liked to see more improvement in] our consistency and aggression, especially on the offensive side of the ball,” Huddleston said. “We work hard as a team to keep errors to a minimum which is often challenging in volleyball, but if we can be more consistent, I think it will help eliminate some of those errors we see.

“Along with that, I would like us to be more fearless and forceful in ‘great ball’ or in system situations. I think we could score more on our offensive side playing more freely.”

Huddleston said the team adjusted expectations as the season progressed.

“I don’t feel we met all the expectations we set at the beginning of the season, but I also think as we started battling injuries and illnesses our aspirations changed,” she said. “We, as a program, always strive to get better as individuals and as a whole unit and I definitely think we accomplished that this season.

“Every opponent we faced looked less challenging and more beatable, which is the mentality you hope to have. However, as a competitive team your goal is often wins, and I feel for us the difference in some games came down to consistency.”

One standout memory for the team came during the district tournament. Cassville snapped a 7-game skid with a win over aurora in the final match of the regular season, then faced the Lady Houn’ Dawgs again a week later in the district quarterfinals, repeating a 3-1 victory.

“We had multiple exciting moments this season, but one that sticks out for me was the first round of districts versus Aurora,” Huddleston said. “As a whole unit, we played fearless with minimal errors. Going into that game. the team wanted another opportunity to play together, so they knew we needed the win. After falling by 2 in the first set, the girls came out on fire, and it was so fun to watch and be a part of with this group.”

Huddleston said both seniors — Ansley Harris and Kennedy Truman — played critical roles.

“Both my seniors had important roles for us,” Huddleston said. “All coaches see positions differently, and it often depends on your background, but for me, the right side blocker and attacker is vital. Ansley is unique in the way she played the right side. She is a very disciplined blocker, and she didn’t always get stuff blocks, but she slowed the ball down for our defense almost every time she had her hands in a hitter’s face. She was effective for us out of system hitting as well, keeping the ball alive when necessary or finding the opponent’s holes. She added a wicked float serve to our game as well.”

“Kennedy saw her second full season in the libero jersey and is truly a complete defensive player. If she could get to the ball defensively she was touching it, it didn’t matter if it was a hard swing, tips, or out of system. She read the court and understood her opponents very well. She is a stealthy passer in serve receive and kept us in system for most situations. She, too, has a strong serve that made a difference for us.”

Huddleston said the returning roster is expected to bring confidence and experience.

“We’ve been young the past few seasons, playing mostly sophomores and juniors, so next season, I expect these underclassmen to bring a sense of comfort and experience to the court,” she said. “Some have played the varsity pace for multiple years now and that should give us some advantages versus teams that have big classes of seniors. Our current freshman and eighth graders are also a very promising bunch of athletes, and I think they could bring a sense of challenge to the gym next season as they gain touches and experience of their own. Having competitive kids from the top down seems to make everyone strive to be better.”

Looking ahead, Huddleston said she hopes to see continued growth.

“Only losing two seniors, we bring back a solid group of juniors and more confident underclassmen, so I would like to see us come out on top versus the opponents we played close games with, as well as surprise some teams that beat us,” Huddleston said. “Also, as a program, we always want to get better; individually in skills and as a group with our court IQ and game strategy.”

Huddleston said she continues to value the support surrounding the program.

“With this being only my fourth year in Cassville, I continue to be awed and inspired by the support of our community,” Huddleston said. “We have planted our roots here, and every year, I am grateful we call Cassville home.”