Despite missing a short time due to injury, Keira Ray enjoyed an outstanding first varsity season with the Montgomery County Wildcats.

The sophomore was a valuable setter, recording 293 assists in 22 matches and finished in double digits in assists 14 times.

The strong efforts certainly impressed the Eastern Missouri Conference volleyball coaches. Ray was selected on the first team of the all-EMO volleyball team, which was released on Oct. 20.

“Keira is an all-star,” said Carli Bleyle, who completed her first season as MCHS coach. “Setters tend to not get as much glory as everyone else, but they’re involved in every single play. Sometimes they don’t get the cool dig or don’t get the hit that goes straight down, but they’re involved in everything. They got to be a rock. Keira was that.”

Ray was the only MCHS representative on the all-league squad, which included four players each from Wright City and North Callaway and two each from Bowling Green and Centralia.

“Coming out and setting for varsity as a sophomore is hard and she took it in stride,” Bleyle said. “She was phenomenal with it. She deserved every vote she got. It was a unanimous decision for her getting first-team all-conference. I’m incredibly proud of her.” 

Ray found out about her honor a day before her team took on North Callaway in a Class 2, District 6 quarterfinal match. She said she was pretty surprised that she got picked as an all-conference setter.

“I didn’t really know what (the all-conference team) was, but I was happy to get it,” Ray said.

Ray was one of six MCHS players who competed in their first full varsity season. She joined her twin sister, Mieka, who played her second varsity season this fall, on the team.

“I liked the fast pace,” Ray said. “It’s much better.”

Ray missed eight matches due to an injury to her right ankle in a match against Bowling Green on Sept. 9. The Wildcats won that contest in five games, their first win of the season after going 0-6.

“It sucked because I always talked about how good my ankles are,” Ray said.

After Ray returned on Sept. 25, she continued to turn in strong efforts. She had a season-high 33 assist effort against Bowling Green on Oct. 9 and a 24-assist performance against Christian Fellowship on Pink Out Night on Oct. 14. She also finished in double digits in assists in the two meetings against Centralia, 27 on Oct. 7 and 28 on Oct. 16.

“She played about six games less than everybody because she was out with injury in the middle of the season, but she had the best stats as a setter in our conference,” Bleyle said. “She had the same amount of assists, maybe one less, but the most assists out of all of the conference games. She was there with her digs, serve attempts and aces. She was either almost the best or the best (than everyone else) and she missed two conference games and played 26 less sets than everybody else. That just shows her potential.”

Ray joined a first team that included Ryenn Gordon of Centralia, Rylee Horstmann and Lauren Pezold of North Callaway and Marli Burkhardt and Jaiden Walch of Wright City. The sophomore thanked her coach for helping her get on the all-conference team.

“My coach put up a good fight for me,” she said.