Behind Senior Stars, Jefferson Volleyball Vying for Another Historic Season

Logo Courtesy of the School

(Festus) The Jefferson Blue Jays will need quite an encore to match 2021’s success. The best season in school history netted Jefferson conference and district championships, as well as a third-place finish at the Class 2 state championships. But even with most of the roster back from a school-record-33-win team, Blue Jays head coach Tara Fish is not looking big picture just yet. Instead she says she wants her players to focus on the fun of the game.

4 all-state players who also made the Regional Radio Dream Team return for their senior seasons looking to continue to rewrite the record books at Jefferson. Outside hitter Kirstyn Loyd lead the team with 476 kills and also finished with 42 blocks, 46 serving aces and 307 digs. Fish says the reigning JCAA Small-School Division MVP can do it all.

Fellow hitter Ava Roth finished tied with Loyd for the team lead in aces while posting 306 kills and a team-high 445 digs. Fish says Roth’s ability to be the best defender on the floor one moment and a lethal attacker the next is a serious weapon.

Emma Breier has gone from prototypical middle blocker to an every-rotation player, adding 223 digs and 30 aces to 367 kills and 46 blocks. And setter Paige Siebert orchestrates the offense with a deft hand that shelled out a whopping 1,159 assists last season. It’s a quartet that on its own would be formidable. But Fish says the whole roster is as good as the Blue Jays have ever fielded.