Cooter VB to ride 'sisterhood' to continued success this season

Cooter High School volleyball coach Brooke Neal speaks with her team during a recent jamboree match at Delta (Deering) High School.

Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

The Cooter High School volleyball program has to feel pretty good about itself entering the 2024 season.

The Wildcats have an experienced coach in sixth-year coach Brooke Neal.

Her team has six seniors returning for their final autumn of competition in Kamryn Cole, Hannah Hall, Brylee Jackson, Makynlie Jackson, Mercedes Murphy, and Kyra Taylor. And lastly, Cooter has some serious momentum coming off last season.

For the first time in over a decade, the Wildcats enjoyed a winning season by taking 11 matches, including winning five of their final seven matches of the season.

“They are a tight-knit group of girls,” Neal said of her 15-player roster. “The chemistry is probably, by far, the best thing that we have going for us this season.”

Cooter will open its regular season on Tuesday at home against a very, very tough Clarkton program at 5 p.m.

Despite that massive challenge, Neal wants her players to be “aggressive” at the net against the Reindeer.

“Being more aggressive on that third ball over the net,” Neal said of an aspect that she has talked with her girls about. “Being aggressive with our hitting and trying to get those kills.”

The Wildcats have just one junior (Payton Forsythe), a large sophomore class (Jozi Johnson, Sarah Thomas, Hannah Rudd, and Krystal Garcia), as well as a nice size freshmen group (Jadyn Yarber, Addisyn Riggs, Rose Murphy, and Alli Webster). However, the senior class will be key to Cooter achieving success this fall.

“They have played together since they were freshmen,” Neal said. “There is a bond that is there. They have a really strong bond. They communicate well and they help each other on the court, instead of getting frustrated and aggravated.

“There is a sisterhood there.”

Following that opening match, Cooter will host Caruthersville on Thursday at 5 p.m. before venturing to Risco on Sept. 6 at 5:30 p.m.