Volleyball Juniors Stepping Up Again This Season
While the Kentucky volleyball senior class gets a lot of attention, and rightfully so, this year’s junior class is also contributing significantly to the Wildcats’ cause.
Alli Stumler, who was named preseason All-SEC prior to the 2020 season, leads the way for the juniors. The Floyds Knobs, Indiana, native entered the season with 630 career kills and is currently tied for the team lead in that category this season with 65. At Missouri last week, Stumler had 21 kills in the first match and 22 in the second as the Cats beat the ninth-ranked Tigers on consecutive nights.
Stumler is drawing more attention from opposing defenses, especially with the departure of Leah Edmond, but she does not mind being the focus of the opposition.
“I don’t even think about the target on my back,” Stumler said. “I love pressure. I feel, personally, that I perform better under pressure.”
Stumler also knows that her teammates can help to alleviate some of that pressure.
“I’m sure that other teams know that I played last year but I think that, overall, our offense is so balanced and that’s what makes our offense so talented,” Stumler said. “Anybody can score at any time.”
Stumler is one of the team leaders and she knows it will be important for the Cats to be able to keep their focus through such a long season, with the NCAA Championship not happening until the spring.
“I think we’ll definitely kind of figure that out how it goes,” Stumler said. “This short season, we’re just so pumped to play. I think just the excitement of that will carry us through these first few games. Then in the spring, we’ll have an NCAA championship to compete for, so we’ll be locked in. We’re training so hard for these moments to compete for a championship. That’s what we’ve been wanting since March.”
Junior defensive specialist Lauren Tharp also plays a key role for the Cats. She knows that the coaching staff is helping the Cats in dealing with the extended season.
“I think the coaching staff has done a good job in assisting us with that,” Tharp said. “It hasn’t been like a constant going hard, we’ve had little breaks here and there, we’ve gotten to do individuals, which has helped a lot.”
Tharp has improved each season she has been at UK and she hopes to take the next step this year.
“I’ve really been working on my footwork and breaking down little fundamentals,” Tharp said. “That’s been a big focus for me.”
Tharp has 23 digs so far this season, to go along with an assist and a service ace.
Cameron Scheitzach has solidified a role as a spot server and defensive specialist for the Cats. The Orlando, Florida, native has three service aces and four digs in four matches this season.
Gabby Goddard, an athletic middle blocker from Lexington, Massachusetts, has yet to appear in a match this season.
The junior class continues to improve and contribute to the Cats’ cause. This group will be key for the Wildcats as the season continues and especially when the postseason begins.
