The Wright City volleyball team has not changed much from last season in terms of players. 

What has changed is the results. 

After having won just three games last year, the Wildcats are off to a 6-1 start with wins against Chamois, Bowling Green, St. Louis Ignite, St. Louis Christian Senior, Montgomery County and North Callaway. 

“We had a really tough year last season and I think coming back and just doing better and proving everyone wrong has been a big motivator for us,” senior Claire Williams said. 

Williams is the team’s lone senior and has been with the program for four years. She said the team’s chemistry has been a major factor in their early success. 

“We’re really close. We had a really young team last year, so we’ve grown together as a team,” Williams said. “We know where we’re going to go and how everyone plays.” 

Coach Shannon Bunch noted that returning upperclassmen and seasoned sophomores have brought a new level of maturity to the squad. 

“We have that year under our belts. They are coming into this knowing what to expect and they’ve shown so much growth mentally and on and off the court – that is what’s really on our side right now,” Bunch said. 

Bunch emphasized the team’s success has not come from one or two players, but it has rather been a collective effort which she believes has been essential. 

“Really this team is working together as one and we wouldn’t be able to do it if we weren’t doing that,” Bunch said. 

The Wildcats have also shown resilience. Even after dropping the first set to St. Louis Christian on Sept. 11, they preserved to win the next three. 

“With our team and our spirit, we’re not going to just let down. We’re going to keep pushing,” Williams said. 

“I just had to remind them that they are that volleyball team, they are good,” Bunch added. “They have gone 3-0 and now they can go 4-0 if they push through those tough moments.” 

Wright City did just that. With intensity high and reassurance there when needed, the Wildcats won three tightly contested sets (25-20, 25-22, 25-19). 

In order to keep the success growing, Williams believes just simply continuing to work on improvement will be key. 

“If we just repeatedly work on our overall performance, I think we’re going to be able to improve a lot and continue our streak,” she said. 

Bunch agreed, adding, “Just keeping it positive, coming to practice every day ready to work and continuing to push through when we do have tough moments in those games.” 

The Wildcats will play in the Orchard Farm Varsity Tournament on Sept. 20.