Jefferson R-7 senior Megan Wood played just five sets during the team’s girls volleyball state championship two years ago, but she had a strong presence on the team’s highlight video.
“There was a video that was made for when we won state … and Megan's like, one of the craziest, loudest on the sideline,” Jefferson coach Tara Fish said. “And it was so fun to watch. You know, that energy from the sideline, people don't realize how important it is.”
Wood got plenty out of the experience as well, especially watching how the Blue Jays’ leaders Ava Roth, Kirstyn Loyd and Emma Breier — all NCAA Division I players — went about their business.
“It showed me what real fight was like, because you always as a JV player, your dream is to always go and be on varsity and playing state games and playing the big games with those people,” Wood said. “And just being able to sit there and cheer them on and like see how cheering people on, and where the energy comes from, how to fight for what games you want to be in, and all that definitely left a mark on me.”
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Now Wood is leaving her mark on the program — and Jefferson’s opponents.
Wood, a 5-foot-9 outside hitter, is third in the area in kills, averaging 5.59 kills a set. After a slow start, Jefferson (16-8) has won 13 of its last 15 matches.
“We always say that we want to play our best at the end of the season, because in the beginning we're still putting things together, learning,” Wood said. “We're playing the hard teams to get better for later in the season, when we play like the really hard teams at state. So, we're learning from the beginning games. The losses are tough, but we learn a lot from them."
Wood has registered 10 or more kills in 19 of Jefferson’s 23 matches, including 28 against Perryville on September 23. She only played one set in three of the four matches she didn’t get at least 10 kills and played just two sets in the other.
“Looking at her stats, that's going to tell you, you know, her skills, that's going to tell you that part,” Fish said. “She is a six-rotation player, and she's great at anticipating. She's got great court sense and she hits the snot out of the ball. But the kid, she is gritty, she's intense, but also she's so funny. Like we had homecoming last week she had a GoPro on a bunch of the days filming the events.”
That included dressing up as Annie for one of the spirit days.
“Like she had the red dress, the red wig. I mean, she went full out,” Fish said.
That personality also fits with a program pillar of having fun. Fish said Wood has her fun, but also knows when to flip the switch and bring the intensity.
And so do her teammates.
Maggie Wrigley (2.63 kills) provides the other half of a potent one-two attacking combo with Wood. Ryleigh Johnson (1.88 kills) has emerged as a third option and Saej Bader provides a strong presence up front at middle hitter.
Halayna Loyd, whose sister Kirstyn was a key cog on the championship team, and Ella Hueter share the setting duties and each have a strong serve.
Libero Peyton Guffey heads a stingy back row with Mady Barbagallo.
The group takes pride in making sure that 2022 run wasn’t a one-hit wonder. While many small public schools would have trouble replenishing the talent from that team, Jefferson followed it up with an 18-9-1 campaign last season.
Blue Jays volleyball has become a source of pride in southeast Jefferson County.
“I'll go around and people just ask me about volleyball, how it's going this year, if we're going to go to state, and how I think we're going to do,” Wood said. “Just everyone's very invested, and everyone wants to know how we're doing. And a lot of people show up to our games just to see how we're doing. It's very a close-knit community, and everyone supports everyone.”
Every successful program has its traditions, and Jefferson is no exception. One of the biggest is homemade spaghetti dinners.
Fish’s husband, Aaron, is the cook.
“He still makes the spaghetti, he washes the uniforms, he spoils us all,” Fish said.
Fish wouldn’t comment on whether Aaron’s sauce has a secret ingredient to help with the team’s success, but the dinners are a source of pride and camaraderie.
“They kind of make deals with him,” Fish said. “OK, if we win, we're going to get spaghetti, or we're going to get spaghetti before this game, because we want to make sure we have those good carbs.”
The spaghetti will definitely be ready when Jefferson opens district play next week. The Blue Jays have the top seed in Class 2 District 4 at Lift For Life Academy.
Jefferson lost in the district final to Arcadia Valley last season. Arcadia Valley went on to finish fourth at state.
“I think we learned some things as well and we're ready for that to not happen again to us,” Fish said. “We just didn't perform last year and we're ready to make sure we peak at the right moments this year.”
While Arcadia Valley isn’t in Jefferson’s district this season, a potential rematch could be on tap in the sectional round. Jefferson swept Arcadia Valley in a regular season matchup September 26, but Wood said she and her teammates aren’t taking anything for granted.
“We worked hard in our open gym, things like that, to get better, because we don't want to repeat it,” Wood said. “It was very heartbreaking to say the least. We really wanted to go to state, like the other grades did before us. We just really wanted to go far, but we are learning and we're pushing and we're trying to get there, and we're doing our best to peak at districts.”