Hounds hit it in camp

Good news: Maryville girls look solid in first few days of camp.

Really good news: Five players including key returners Jessica From, Leah Bostwick and Rachel Tobin were out of the country at the time.

Maryville volleyball coach Lori Klaus said she's liked what she's seen in the first three days of the Spoofhounds team camp this week. The Spoofhounds played in two competitive games so far this summer winning both without From, Bostwick and Tobin.

"Every girl is just stepping into whatever position I tell them to and doing a great job," Klaus said. "That just shows that they're willing to work wherever they're at. I think we'll be tough this year."

Maryville's biggest strength will once again be its front line. Anchored by the likes of Jordan Stiens, Libbey Howell, Traci Jensen and From, the front line is a potent blend of depth, size and athleticism.

"I think our front row is going to be really tough," Klaus said. "We're going to have to practice hitting around blockers because that's how teams are going to have to beat us — if they have a big front line as well."

With 11 seniors on the team, Klaus has most of her starters back. Those starters led the Spoofhounds to a second-place finish in the Class 2 District 16 tournament and one step away from the playoffs — something none of the current Spoofhounds have ever experienced.

After just three days of camp, Klaus said she could already tell the Spoofhounds had improved in the offseason.

"Those girls have spent an entire year in the weight room getting stronger," Klaus said. "It shows out here on the court. They're jumping higher than they were last year already.

"It's June and I already feel like we're hitting really hard."

With improved ability comes higher goals for Maryville. Just getting better isn't enough for the Spoofhounds in 2009. They want to prove they're among the best in the state and a great way to show it would be by winning the Midland Empire Conference.

"Our goal, they've said already, is conference champs this year," Klaus said. "We keep saying that and we come up short every year in conference. We're just right in the middle of the pack.
"We know this year that that is one of our big goals."

Their other goal is to make it into the state playoffs. Klaus thinks to get there means beating Bishop LeBlond ... the same team that­­­­ the Spoofhounds lost to in the district championship in 2008.

"We already think that we're better than LeBlond and we want to prove that," Klaus said.
It isn't just a goal for the team. It's a personal goal of Klaus' as well.

"We've never been there," Klaus said. "None of those girls have ever been there. I've never been there as a coach or as a player. It would all be new to us. I'm hoping to get there."

Maryville's not just relying on hope to get the job done. After the final day of camp, the team is packing up and heading to the Licking Volleyball Team Camp in Rolla, Mo. There the 'Hounds will test themselves against some of the best talent in the state.

"The reason we're going five hours away is so we see teams we don't normally and just get some different competition," Klaus said.

The Spoofhounds are also competing in a summer league in St. Joseph and plan to attend a team camp at Northwest Missouri State in late July.

Klaus said working during the summer is pivotal for success in the fall, but she also knows the players need some time off as well.

"I also think it's important that the kids have a summer, that they get breaks and so stuff," Klaus said. "We just try to go a couple nights a week."