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by Bill Althaus, Grain Valley News If you are dealing with a difficult decision, this is the type most coaches would welcome. Because of the success of her Grain Valley High School volleyball team, coach Tori Squiers has been working with the largest preseason class of Eagles players. "And that means I'm going to have to make some cuts," said Squiers, whose Eagles were 20-13 last season with a second-place finish in the Suburban White Conference. "And that is such a tough day. But on the positive side, we have four seniors and four juniors returning from last season, and we might have as much depth as any team I've coached at Grain Valley." Grain Valley activities director Brandon Hart backed that comment as he happened to come by the gymnasium to watch a few moments of team drills. "We're excited about volleyball and all our teams this season," Hart said. "This is my 10th season as the activities director and when I look back to my first year it's really unbelievable. We have great coaches who really inspire out athletes and we just continue to have more success each season." The Eagles lost two standout seniors off last year's team with outside hitter Kayla Gallagher and Bailey Dugan graduating. This year, seniors libero Chloe Hernandez, outside hitter Kyleigh Casey, setter Chesnie King and right side hitter Ava Thurston bring talent, experience and leadership to the Eagles. "We're all so excited about this season," Hernandez said. "This is my second year as a starting, and I'm going to feel comfortable in my new role as a leader on this season. "It's just preseason, and I already feel like we're a family, a group of girls who are playing for each other and our school. "We're working hard in practice and doing all the little things that will become big things once the season starts." Casey said it's great to be back in the gym with her Eagles teammates. "We're really becoming a team, becoming a family, and that's great," Casey said. "We're stressing the importance of communication, and with our four seniors and juniors, we already feel like we're ready for a real game. Gallagher said it's great to be back in the gym with her Eagles teammates. "We're really becoming a team, becoming a family, and that's great," Gallagher said. "We're stressing the importance of communication, and with our four seniors and juniors, we already feel like we're ready for a real game. "We have trust in each other and we have so much height and talent this year, I think the sky's the limit." Squiers brings the same grit and determination to her coaching role that she did 10 years ago when she played for the Eagles. "When you watch a practice, the first thing you probably notice is our height, and our talent," Squiers said. "We're going to play great defense and our offense is going to be tough to handle. "A big key is to play as a team, and I'm already seeing great communication and senior leadership. And we're all excited about our Volleyball Jamboree at Kearney on August 25th when we will compete for the first time." The Eagles will play the host school, Fort Osage, and Excelsior Springs.  Coach Tori Squiers, who graduated from Grain Valley High School in 2015, is entering her sixth season as the Eagles head volleyball coach. Photo credit: Bill Althaus  Comments are closed.
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