Gabby Vogt is counting the days.

The new Wright City volleyball coach is not only excited to take the reins of a Wildcats’ program that finished 15-10-2 and won an Eastern Missouri Conference championship under Coach Shannon Bunch, but she’s also going to get to reacquaint herself with some familiar faces in doing so.

After all, Vogt moves up to the program’s lead after several seasons guiding youth teams, including the Wright City Middle School team for the past two years. In those two seasons, she worked with some of the girls who will be on the Wildcats’ roster this fall.

“I'm excited to continue building on the strong foundation that was already in place when I came in,” Vogt said. “We have a talented group of girls, and it's been a lot of fun getting to work with them already. There is a lot of leadership from the upperclassmen and the girls have a lot of drive to want to improve. I have coached the freshman and sophomore classes at the high school. It's been rewarding to reconnect with those athletes and see how much they've grown, both as volleyball players and as young women.”

The Wright City School Board approved Vogt’s hiring at its July meeting.

Vogt has an extensive background as both an athlete and in coaching. She played high school volleyball in south central Wisconsin before playing collegiately in Decatur, Ill.

“I played in Mount Horeb, WI, where I grew up,” Vogt said. “I lettered all four years. I also played for a local club, Wisconsin Select. In my 15U year, we received a bid to Nationals in New Orleans. I played all four years in college at Millikin University.”

Vogt said that she feels a sound fundamental base will serve any team she coaches very well.

“I'm highly competitive and want our team to approach every practice and match with a competitive mindset,” Vogt said. “At the same time, I'm very technical in my coaching. I believe that by building a strong foundation of fundamentals, we give our athletes the tools they need to be successful, not just on the court, but in life as well.”

As important as rounding her players into volleyball form will be, the coach said that overseeing each player’s development as a student and a person will also be a key for her.

The coach aims for Wright City volleyball to leave an impression on its athletes, both as they compete and long after they’ve left the court.

“On the court, I want to continue building a competitive program year after year,” Vogt said. “More importantly, off the court, I want to help our student-athletes grow into the most successful versions of themselves and develop the skills they need to succeed beyond volleyball.”

Wright City athletics director Tyler Rickard said he’s excited to see what Vogt will bring to the Wildcats program as she steps up to lead the varsity.

"I'm thrilled to welcome Gabby as our next volleyball coach,” Rickard said. “Gabby has extensive experience as both a player and coach, which provides her with a tremendous amount of knowledge of the game. She's been instrumental in helping us build a strong middle school volleyball program over the last few years, and I'm excited to see that translate to our high school program."

Wright City is scheduled to begin workouts on Aug. 10, and the team’s first game is on Aug. 31 at Winfield.