The Wright City girls volleyball team has taken things to the next level this season.
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The Wright City girls volleyball team has taken things to the next level this season.
One year removed from winning the Eastern Missouri Conference championship and winning a conference championship for the first time since 1982, the Wildcats have built upon that success.
Wins over North Callaway and Bowling Green on Oct. 14 and 15 not only secured the EMO title, but also left the team with an unblemished 8-0 conference mark.
Senior libero/defensive specialist Marli Burkhardt said that the second part of that honor shows the level of growth that the team has enjoyed under the guidance of Gabby Vogt.
“Being undefeated in conference for the first time in a long time in Wright City volleyball is such an amazing accomplishment,” Burkhardt said. “I’m so proud of how our team has played this season and how much we’ve grown together. It shows how hard we’ve worked, how much we trust each other and how determined we are to keep pushing each other to be better. Being able to be part of a team that made history is something I’ll always be proud of.”
While the Wildcats have been strong all season, the team is firing on all cylinders at the right time,
With the conference wins, Wright City (18-8) entered the postseason, which began after press time, having won six of the team’s last seven matches, with only a non-conference defeat to Warrenton on October 8 as the only negative.
First-year Wildcats Coach Gabby Vogt said that taking the next step in winning the program’s second straight title was a focus headed into the season.
That step included beating Centralia and North Callaway, two conference teams Wright City shared its conference title with last season.
“At the beginning of the season, we set a goal as a team,” Vogt said. “The girls wanted to win conference again, but this time, without sharing the title after a three-way tie last year. They have shown up to practice this season with that goal in mind. They were never content with where we were but were always looking for ways to get better.”
One way the team can measurably ‘get better,’ in Vogt’s words, comes this week.
That’s because Wright City will begin the Class 3 District 6 tournament in Fulton tonight (Thursday) as the event’s No. 2 seed behind top-seeded Borgia (20-13-1).
Wright City will play No. 3-seeded Fulton (8-14-3) in the semifinals with a spot in the 6 p.m. Monday championship game on the line.
According to MSHSAA, the programs have met twice before, with Fulton winning at Wright City in 2012 and the teams splitting a pair of sets at Fulton in 2013.
That’s all in the past, Vogt said, as the team aims to get past Fulton in an effort to win something the program hasn’t since winning a district championship during its fateful 1982 season.
“Being able to reach our (conference) goal really shows the hard work and determination these girls have put in all season,” Vogt said. “That being said, we are now shifting our mindset to our next goal of competing for a district championship.”
