A DIFFERENT KIND OF FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: Smaller schools rally around volleyball teams

Members of the Advance Hornets volleyball team huddle up before last Friday’s Stoddard County Activities Association match against Bernie at Bernie High School. High school volleyball is often ‘Friday night lights’ in many Stoddard County communities, including Advance and Bernie.

Dexter Statesman/Mike Buhler

For a lot of towns, Friday night lights means high school football played in stadiums with green fields.

But not every town.

For many of Southeast Missouri’s smaller towns, Friday night lights has a different meaning — high school volleyball played under the lights in gymnasiums on hardwood floors.

And there are few places in the area where volleyball is bigger than Stoddard County. Four of the county’s teams — Advance, Bernie, Bell City and Bloomfield — have won state championships since 1992.

Bernie and Advance have won five apiece, while Bell City has won two and Bloomfield has won one.

At the moment, Advance is in the midst of an historic run, having won five state titles since 2018. The Hornets also have won back-to-back titles and are aiming for a third in 2024.

Which might explain why the Hornets draw well on the road, as they did last Friday night at Bernie. Before a good crowd at the Bernie High School gymnasium, Advance defeated Bernie 25-21, 25-16, 25-14 to improve to 2-0 in Stoddard County Activities Association play.

Bernie senior Bailey Henry prepares to serve the ball into play during last Friday’s SCAA volleyball game between Bernie and Advance at Bernie High School. (Dexter Statesman/Mike Buhler)

“We’ve got a lot of kids that show up to a lot of our games, which is unusual,” Advance coach Erin Hoffman said. “We have all their parents, of course, and then we have a lot of community members that are very loyal fans — they come to everything. They’ll go to the Dig for Life (tournament in Cape Girardeau). They’ll travel as far as Bernie. It’s great. It’s great that that we’re touching so many people to want to come and watch this game.”

And it’s exciting thing to be a part of that, said Addison Carlton, the Hornets’ lone senior this season.

“It’s a great feeling to be a part of Advance volleyball,” Carlton said. “They’ve had such great success in the past 5-6 years, and it’s a great team to be a part of. It’s not just great being on a volleyball team — there’s so much more than that. I have a great coach behind me and a bunch of great girls behind me that are really great friends.”

Hoffman has coached six state title teams — in addition to the five she’s coached at Advance, Hoffman coached Bell City to a state championship in 2003 and also coached Bernie to a state runner-up finish in 2012.

“I don’t think it’s all really sunk in, because I’m still going,” Hoffman said. “Maybe when I retire, I’ll be able to sit back and say, ‘Wow, look at, look at all that.’ There’s so much volleyball tradition in the area here.”

Advance setter Kyndall Hitt (right) high-fives head coach Erin Hoffman during team introductions before last Friday’s game between Bernie and Advance at Bernie High School. (Dexter Statesman/Mike Buhler)

Before Advance began its run of dominance in 2018, the Bernie Mules had a championship run of their own, winning five state championships between 1994 and 1999 under the leadership of coach Bill Zoll.

Current Bernie coach Rachel Vernon played for the Mules before taking the reins of the program in 2022.

“Being a part of a school that has a strong passion for success, both on and off the court, is truly inspiring,” Vernon said. “As a student, I grew up understanding the value of hard work, thanks to the expectations set by my coaches. They taught us the importance of fighting together during tough times and celebrating our successes.

“I vividly remember one of the coaches emphasizing that there is no ‘I’ in team — we win together and we lose together. Now, as a coach, I have gained a different perspective on the game. I greatly admire Coach Zoll, not only for his success but also for the hard work he put in to make his team successful.”

Vernon has had some success coaching her alma mater, leading the Mules to 16 wins her first season and 18 last fall. Bernie enters Thursday’s matchup against Bell City with a 3-1 record, with its only loss coming last Friday to Advance.

“As a coach, it’s essential to determine the best rotation, understand the team’s chemistry, and get to know the players beyond just practice,” Vernon said. “My goal is to be an inspiration to the girls, not only to win games but also to impart important life lessons.

“I consider myself privileged to be a part of such a successful program. The coaches at this school have been fantastic to work with and have provided valuable guidance and support throughout my coaching journey.”

Last but not least, Friday nights under the gymnasium lights can also be fun — especially when a team is winning.

“We just like to go out, play the game and show what we have — and have as much fun as we can,” said Advance setter Kyndall Hitt. “But (we want to) show that we are capable of doing everything that the past (teams have) done by working on it each game and showing that we’re not just small teenagers — that we can be big and we can go and show out who we are.”