Southwest volleyball coach Steve Voyak said his team may not have earned an “A” on the season, but the effort exceeded expectations.

“I realize a C+ is not a good grade on a report card, but this group overachieved at every turn,” said Voyak. “They learned what it took to win and then worked their tails off to keep winning. I asked Coach Mandy Henry to install a completely different offenses and defenses than we’ve run in 10 years, and the girls adapted and adjusted.”

Voyak said the team made its greatest strides in one key area.

“Probably serve-reception,” he said. “Missy Freeman and Olivia Hnem combined for nearly 1,100 receptions and were consistent from start to finish, but the other receivers — Abi Hnem and Emma Outhouse and Addison Parker — also stepped up their game. We also served at 91% as a team after serving at 86% during the summer.”

Voyak said there was still one category that held the team back.

“Hitting,” he said. “We improved and did fine but, we just made too many fundamental mistakes, and our unforced errors were way too high. Some of it was pure fatigue, but some were mental lapses.”

Voyak said one early-season win stood out as a defining moment.

“In the second game of the year at Wheaton, we were in the 5th set, and it looked like we were going to blow a significant lead, but the girls rebounded and rallied to win 18-16,” Voyak said. “We went to Verona for their tournament the next day and finished third in the 10-team event. I didn’t think we would win at Wheaton and was hoping to win one game at the tournament, and we came home with a trophy. I was blown away.”

Voyak said his senior leaders were critical to the team’s success.

“They were amazing,” he said. “Missy was an absolute warrior. She made All-District and All-Conference and did everything for us. Everybody knew Missy can kill the ball (team leader in kills with 315), but her defense and serve reception are underrated. She really worked to make those phases of her game better and college coaches took notice.

“Emma led us in serve percentage at 95.1% and made 71 in a row late in the season, but what really stood out was her defense. She finished 4th on the team in digs with 192. And, Addison really stepped up her hitting and ended up second in kills with 151. She gave us a significant hitting option after Missy. She really improved her overall game from last year to this year.”

Voyak said his underclassmen gained valuable experience and responded well to their responsibilities.

“They understood their roles and executed them,” he said. “We asked Abi to be a part-time setter and then pass the serve in three rotations and become a consistent server. She did it. I was especially proud of our middles, sophomores Emily Brooks and Lexie Walker. They were undersized and overmatched, but they competed every night. Lexie really improved her hitting. Emily served at over 90% and really improved her defense as the season went on. Paula Callison provided some consistency as a freshman setter. I was incredibly hard on her, but she responded to the coaching and became a better and smarter volleyball player.”

Despite humble preseason expectations, Voyak said his team outperformed projections.

“I thought five or six wins was our ceiling, and we somehow got to 12 and added three solid ties to go with the victories,” he said. “I was concerned that maybe the Verona Tournament was a bit of a fluke, but the girls kept working, and we put together a modest 3-game winning streak late in the season. I was especially proud when Abi rolled an ankle before the Everton game. It caused us to change the line-up and give other players more responsibilities. We could have just made excuses for losing, but the girls stepped up and took on the next-girl-up mentality.”

Looking ahead, Voyak said his focus is on leadership and rebuilding the offensive attack.

“My lone senior libero and captain Olivia Hnem will have to lead the group,” said Voyak. “We lose 465 kills, so we will need to develop four or five hitters to be successful. We will also need to develop some girls in serve reception.”

The Lady Trojans finished the 2025 season with a 12-19-3 record. In postseason honors, Freeman, senior outside hitter, was named first-team All-SWCL Conference and 2nd Team Class 2 All-District. She led the team in kills (315), aces (46) and blocks (15), and was second in receptions (570) and digs (354). Olivia Hnem was named SWCL honorable mention. She led the team in receptions (597) and digs (549), and was second in aces (42) and serve percentage (94.5%) converting 348 of 368 serves.