Southwest volleyball impresses in youthful season

By Kyle Troutman [email protected]

Southwest volleyball coach Steve Voyak gave his team a C-minus for the season, but the nine wins the Lady Trojans collected exceeded his expectations and provided a foundation for the future.

Southwest finished 9-25-1, closing the season with three consecutive home victories and winning two of its final three Ozark 7 Conference matches. Voyak said the team made significant strides despite having just one senior.

“I thought five wins was our ceiling, and we somehow got to nine wins,” Voyak said. “That said, we had four freshmen in the rotation, and two juniors that were out of volleyball for a year and only one senior on the team, so nine wins was an overachievement.”

Voyak said he was especially proud of the team’s progress from the beginning of the season to its finish.

The biggest improvement came in Southwest’s ability to attack and finish rallies. The Lady Trojans had 465 kills to replace from the 2025 team, and early in the season, they struggled to put the ball away. After making adjustments, the team finished with 345 kills, with its production improving over the final 10 matches.

Junior Emily Brooks led Southwest with 151 kills, doing so as an undersized middle, Voyak said. Junior Bri Taft finished with 100 kills after moving from right side to outside hitter about halfway through the season. Voyak said Taft’s adjustment to the position gives him optimism heading into her senior year.

Freshman Brylee Cutberth added 51 kills while learning both middle and outside hitter positions. Voyak said she worked through the challenges without complaining, reduced her errors and continued asking questions.

“Her energy, athleticism and positive attitude make her future look really bright,” he said. “I think she can triple that figure next season.”

Serve reception was the area Voyak most wanted to see improve. Southwest showed it could perform well in that area, but stretches of inconsistent passing sometimes determined the outcome of a set.

Despite those struggles, Voyak praised the team’s attitude and credited senior captain Olivia Hnem with helping maintain a supportive environment.

Two moments stood out during the season. The first came in a four-set victory over Exeter in the inaugural Red Rivalry Trophy match. Exeter Coach Jordy Long, a Southwest graduate, helped establish the trophy for the schools’ annual matchup, and an Exeter student built it. Voyak said the student sections on both sides created an atmosphere that made the night memorable.

“We won in four sets, but the big winner was volleyball,” Voyak said. “If an elementary girl attended that game, she easily could have been inspired to be a future player at Southwest or Exeter in the future because of the surroundings of the game.”

The other memorable moment came on Senior Night against McAuley. After Southwest dropped the first two sets, Hnem delivered a speech asking her teammates to earn a victory in her final home match. The Trojans responded by winning the next three sets.

Voyak called Hnem one of the best captains he has coached in 24 years. The lone senior led Southwest with 465 digs, a 97% serving percentage and 520 receptions. She also surpassed 1,000 career kills and finished with more than 1,400.

Hnem’s individual honors included co-MVP of the 43rd annual Southwest Volleyfest Tournament, All-Tournament recognition at the Galena Lady Bear Classic, and All-Ozark 7 Conference and All-District selections. She received votes on eight of nine coaches’ ballots at Volleyfest, sharing the tournament’s top honor despite Southwest finishing seventh.

Voyak said Hnem’s leadership went beyond statistics, noting her commitment to treating teammates equally and offering encouragement throughout the season.

“She cared about all players equally and that’s incredibly rare with teenagers,” Voyak said. “She would tell every player ‘good bye’ at the end of every practice and gave 99% positive feedback to her teammates all season.”

Southwest returns 10 of its top 11 players, giving the program a sizable group of experienced players to build around. Freshman defensive specialist Gracen Varner is among those expected to compete for the libero position after finishing third on the team with 223 digs and 303 receptions. She also made 196 of 205 serves, a 95.6% rate, with 17 aces.

Voyak said Varner responded well to the expectations placed on her as a freshman.

Junior setter Abi Hnem, who earned all-conference honors, was Southwest’s second-best player, according to Voyak. She led the team with 256 assists and 87 aces while adding 244 digs and 390 receptions.

Other returning contributors include junior Atlie Uthe, who had 31 kills and 25 digs; freshman Alana Smith, with 53 digs and 35 kills; and junior Holley Montondo, who recorded 99 digs and 237 receptions.

Second setter Chrissy Stidam also made an impression in her first season, finishing with 141 digs, 120 receptions and 40 assists. She served at 93.2 percent with 18 aces.

Voyak said the returning hitters will need to continue developing, while he expects the team’s returning experience to help Southwest take another step forward.

The Lady Trojans also finished the season with a 93.7% serving rate, making 1,345 of 1,434 attempts and recording 200 aces. Five of the team’s six servers finished at 92% or better. Voyak said the team’s serving performance was a sign of its mental toughness, with just 89 missed serves across the season.

Assistant coach Mandy Henry helped reinforce those expectations, Voyak said.

Looking toward next season, Southwest will have high expectations with most of its top players returning, but Voyak said a strong offseason will be important as other teams continue to improve.

“I have confidence the girls will respond,” he said.

Southwest’s season ended on Oct. 20 with a 3-0 loss to Blue Eye in the Class 2, District 10 Tournament.