Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009

Freeburg senior co-captains have had starring roles in volleyball drama

FREEBURG -- If the equivalent to Mount Rushmore could be carved in honor of Freeburg High's volleyball team, there would be three visages gracing it.

Seniors Kayleigh Cox, Colleen Yarber and Sam Kassing have been the face of program's ascent to the Class 2A throne. They have been the three constants, the collective spine, of a team that has been the dominant force on the state's small-school scene.

"It's an awesome feeling knowing that we were here for both years and all three of us played big roles in getting Freeburg to this point," Yarber said. "It's nice knowing that we played a part in it."

They weren't bit parts, either. Each has had a starring role in the Midgets going 72-7 over the past two seasons. They were starters in 2008 when Freeburg went 36-5 and beat (Tolono) Unity for the school's first volleyball state title since 1982.

This year, they are back in their familiar spots as the Midgets (36-2) are heavy favorites to win it all again. They take a 19-match winning streak into Friday's 11:30 a.m. semifinal against Carlinville (35-3) at Illinois State University's Redbird Arena in Normal.

"A lot of people expected it out of us and we were expected to win, and I think it put more pressure on us to get there," Cox said. "I like the pressure because it gives us more of a reason to do it and to show everyone that yeah, we're not going to lose."

Yarber, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter, is second on the team with 213 kills and 247 digs. Kassing, a 5-9 outside hitter, is third in kills with 183 while Cox, a 6-2 middle, leads in blocks with 120 and is fourth in kills with 150.

As the trio matured, so did Freeburg's reputation as a volleyball giant ready to squash all comers.

"We have that title for a reason and people are nervous to play us for a reason because we do have talent," Kassing said. "I like the fact that people are kind of scared to play us."

There is nothing scary about the personalities of Cox, Yarber and Kassing. All three are honor-roll students at Freeburg who have earned the respect of their teachers, coaches, classmates and teammates with their talent and unselfish attitude.

"They really don't boast on themselves at all," Freeburg coach Lesa Bolt said. "They get excited when they do well, but they get more excited when each other does well or the team gets a point. They're excited because it's part of the win."

Bolt questioned whether leaders would emerge after last season, when setter Krystin Wahlig and libero Andrea Bolt, Bolt's daughter, graduated.

Those fears were soon alleviated when preseason practice started and Cox, Kassing and Yarber were elected as team captains by a landslide.

"That extra year of maturity does wonders," Bolt said. "When they get to their last year, they seem to develop a sense of 'This is my final year, this is my time' and they do mature."

Being co-captains is something the trio takes seriously.

"I feel like we really had to take responsibility for the team," Cox said. "We had to be the spokespeople to talk to coach about what was going on and how we feel about things. It made us grow up."

Team unity is something that is constantly hammered home by Cox, Kassing and Yarber. Every Wednesday after practice during the season, team dinners were organized in the school cafeteria. One week, the freshmen players brought food, the following week, it was the junior varsity's turn.

Last week during the sectional, the team ate pizza at a local restaurant. On Wednesday, Yarber had the entire team over to her parents' home in Smithton for the pre-state tournament meal. Tacos were on the menu.

After most matches, many of the players congregate at the home of Cox, whose father, Danny, pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals and once managed the Gateway Grizzlies.

"It's nice, because like the whole team always shows up," Kayleigh Cox said. "We all have a good time together."

The Cox-Yarber-Kassing troika can't help but be emotionally torn about the upcoming weekend. While excited about possibly bringing another state title back to Freeburg, the fact that this will be the last time playing together as Midgets has them feeling melancholy.

"It'll definitely be sad, but knowing this is as far as we can go and we've done the best we can will make it easier to take," said Yarber, who will continue her career at Southeast Missouri State. "It'll be sad because I've loved high-school volleyball. I know college won't be similar because it will be like club. You'll be playing with a bunch of girls you don't know and haven't been with that long.

"It's not going to be the same as pulling together in high school, growing together and doing something as special as we have the last two years."

Instead of Mount Rushmore-type carving, the Midgets are already immortalized with a giant portrait near the gymnasium for winning the 2008 state title. Adding a twin would be twice as nice.

"When we come back in five or 10 years and see that, it's going to be the best feeling in the world," Kassing said. "It's going to be awesome to tell people about the last two years. It's been the best years of my life."