Even though the Montgomery County volleyball team didn’t hoist a district championship plaque this year, it still had reason to celebrate.

After a three-game loss to Linn in the Class 2, District 6 semifinals match against Linn on Oct. 21 at Hermann High School, the Wildcats finished with one of the most improved seasons in program history, going from three wins in 2025 to 12 wins this season.

“I wished we could have played another day, but I think we gave it our all and it was a great season,” MCHS junior Emma Cobb said.

MCHS finished 12-17-3, its third straight losing season. It was the first time since 2023 the Wildcats reached the double-digit mark in victories. They also celebrated their first postseason win in three years as they knocked off North Callaway in four games in a quarterfinal match on Oct. 20.

Linn, the No. 1 seed in the district tournament, was too much to handle for the Wildcats from the opening serve in district tournament play. Linn jumped out to an 11-2 lead in the first game en route to its 12th three-game victory of the season. Linn, which is also nicknamed the Wildcats, beat MCHS for the second time this season.

“We definitely came in on the high from beating North Callaway,” MCHS junior Harper Monsen said. “Coming into (the match), we believed that we had a chance and I think there was a chance for us to win. Today, we just fell short.”

MCHS defeated North Callaway 25-21, 25-23, 24-26, 25-20 to advance to the district semifinals. The third time was the charm for the Wildcats with the win over the Thunderbirds in the district quarterfinals. MCHS lost to North Callaway twice in the regular season.

The Wildcats got off to a strong start against North Callaway as they stormed to a 6-0 lead in the first game. With the second game tied at 23-23, the Wildcats won the game by getting points on a North Callaway serving error and a kill by Cobb and took a 2-0 lead in games. The Wildcats got a service ace on match point to seal the victory.

MCHS lost 18-25, 14-25 and 16-25 to Linn the following night. Linn ended the high school volleyball careers of five players – Khloe Kribbs, Megan Pierson, Reaghan Hemeyer, Addison Brower and Dakota Marion. All of them joined the program when they were in middle school.

The Wildcats will return six players, including Cobb and Monsen, next year. Twin sisters and juniors Keira and Mieka Ray, who were selected on the all-Eastern Missouri Conference team, are also part of that returning group.

“I think next year is going to be really good,” Monsen said. “We’re going to have a pretty old team. In the past years, we had a younger varsity team. Next year, all of us will be coming back with varsity play time. I think next year, we’ll be pretty strong.”

The Wildcats began their season on Aug. 29 with two wins at the Tolton Catholic Tournament. They surpassed their win total from 2025 with a road victory over New Haven on Sept. 10. They also had a five-game victory over Mexico and a win over Centralia on senior night.

Besides the Ray sisters, Pierson was the other MCHS representative on the all-EMO team. Kiera Ray was the Wildcats’ leader in assists with 564, Pierson led the team in digs with 422 and Mieka Ray finished with a team-high 157 kills.
Monsen said chemistry was the main reason for the Wildcats’ turnaround season.

“Every girl here has played 2-3 years of varsity,” she said. “We all played together and we’re all very close. Some of those girls are like family, so when you’re that close with people, it’s easy to mesh and it’s easy to work well together.”

Carli Bleyle wrapped up her second season as MCHS coach. She spent the entire season coaching while being pregnant. She is expecting a child soon.

“Carli knows our potential a lot, so she sees that and she wants us to do our best, no matter what,” Cobb said. “If we’re having an off-day, she’ll pull us to the side and talk to us. She tells us multiple times, ‘Confidence, you got it. You can do it. I believe in you.’ It definitely helped us through a lot.”