August 5 marked the first day of the 2025 school year here at Lewis Cass. For the past nine weeks, many activities have been in full swing. Academics have been underway with many students already completing various projects and tests. The clubs are also in high gear here at Cass, already having multiple mentor meetings and club activities. Lastly, the fall sports have been taking place with countless tennis matches, cross country meets, and football games. The volleyball team has been no exception to this, participating in a multitude of practices, games, and tournaments for the last couple of months. However, it might just be the time for this season to come to a close.
The Lady Kings officially started this season way back on August 16, where the girls took second place in the Cass County Tournament, falling short to the Logansport Berries. Since then, the team has played in a total of 18 games. With at least two games a week, it has been a nonstop flow of volleyball for these girls, and it has proven to be a rollercoaster of both good and bad. First-year varsity coach and former head JV coach, Taylor Pullen, stated, “We have had our struggling moments, but we have also had some great moments! We are slowly getting there! Just need to keep working hard each day and get some buy-in.”
The girls are currently sitting at a record of 6-13. The Three Rivers Conference (TRC) is a tough volleyball conference, with powerhouse programs such as Southwood, Northfield, and Manchester. While this challenging conference does reflect in the Lady King’s record, a few of these 13 losses came from tough non-conference defeats, such as two five-set losses to both North Miami and Kokomo. However, the Lady Kings have delivered some strong victories this season. Some of these wins include a dominant win over a good Northwestern team and a commanding revenge victory over the Berries of Logansport. This game was a memorable one for the whole team. Senior outside hitter, Emma Hildebrand, even said that this was her favorite memory from her volleyball career. “Especially after they took the championship from us on our home court and having never beat them before, it felt really good to shut them down senior year.”
Overall, the team has shown major improvements from last season. Coach Pullen said, “Our defense this season has improved tremendously. Our overall coverage, rally play, and hustle have taken a 180 since last season. And I am very proud of them for that!” The team is under new leadership this season in Coach Pullen, and the squad has responded nicely. Not only did the varsity squad gain a new leader this year, but so did the junior varsity. Third-grade teacher Katie Miley stepped in to fill this position. Coach Miley stated, “I have loved every minute of coaching this year. All the wins and losses. Each one taught something new to improve.” Miley has led the J.V squad to a 7-8 record up to this point in the season and is looking for the team to finish strong for the remainder of the season. “We have four games left in the season, and I expect the athletes to leave it all on the court to finish. I am excited to see their energy and hard work pay off.”
Coach Pullen’s expectations are the same for her varsity team heading into postseason competition. When asked about these expectations, Pullen said, “We have four regular-season games left to change our mindset and decide how we want to finish out the season. We have a tough sectional, but I fully believe that this group of girls has the skills/talent to compete with those good teams. I want our seniors to leave their legacy and lead their team to FINISH strong this season!” Only time will tell how the Lady Kings will finish out their volleyball season. Make sure to cheer them on for the remainder of the regular season and during Sectional play. Go Kings!
From the sidelines to the headlines, this is Lauren, signing out.
