Cardinals picked seventh in KJCCC poll
Opportunity for one of the greatest turnarounds in NJCAA volleyball exists for the Labette Cardinals. And it’s not one to be taken lightly.
Deardin Kelley, a former assistant at Labette who spent last fall as a head coach at NCAA Division II William Jewell in the NCAA, takes the reins as head coach of the Cardinals from Haley Cook.
Proof of concept exists for Kelley, who also spent two years as the head coach at Coffeyville. There, she guided the Red Ravens to 48 wins from 2022-23.
It’s not quite a one-to-one comparison. Coffeyville has a national title to its credit in the last decade, while Labette hasn’t qualified for the postseason in the same timespan.
“Once the complacency of just wanting to play and not competing sets in, that’s hard to overcome,” Kelley said. “We also want to be transparent. That affects every rep you take. If you lack focus in a rep, you’re moving backwards. There’s no reason we need to be doing that. In the past, we got stuck in monotony. We’re trying to stop that in its tracks. We’re not going to put up with it.”
Kelley served under former head coach Haley Cook for two seasons (2020-21). Last fall, Labette went 7-24 overall and 2-8 in KJCCC play. The Cardinals were one win shy of a postseason berth.
Recruiting alphas to the Cardinals roster was a point of emphasis for Kelley.
“I am recruiting specific personalities and a different level of ability we haven’t seen,” Kelley said. “They’re strong-minded kids. It’s a coin flip if they’ll be strong-minded for the goal or for the downfall. That’ll be the turning point. In my first year at Coffeyville, there were some girls that wavered on that line. But we still propelled forward.”
Labette will have local flavor on the roster in the form of Iniya Hinman, one of the most decorated female athletes from Parsons High School in the last five years.
Hinman, a middle blocker, spent last year redshirting under Kelley at William Jewell.
“She might give me a heart attack, but we have a special type of bond,” Kelley said. “She’s such a special kid. Iniya has this aura about her. You have to have her. She is showing up as a leader and wanting to take the program to the next level. She’s totally bought in. She’s a new kid. I can’t wait for her.”
Platooning the middle with Hinman is Margaux Pique, a native of France, who tallied 33 blocks and 153 kills last season.
“I love Margaux and she has a different personality,” Kelley said. “She’s getting better at communicating with her teammates. And she’s been killing it. She’s getting a lot of reps.”
On the back line, defensive specialist Dayanara Castillo returns after tallying a teamhigh 360 digs.
“The thing she brings to the table, which people don’t see, is her love of the game,” Kelley said. “She’s relentless. She goes home in the summer and works on a farm all day and still does all her weights, all her fundraising and maintains a good GPA. She’s a poster child. That’s what makes her special.”
Others on the Labette roster include Allie Rushing (Duncanville, Texas), Charlotte Watson (Euless, Texas), Evyn Morrow (Sand Springs, Oklahoma), Chloe Doerr (Coweata, Oklahoma), Amelia Oliver (Mansfield, Texas), Olivia Brand (Broken Arrow, Oklahoma), Raveyn Kegler (Fort Scott), Jordyn Drayton (Duncanville, Texas), Savannah Jenkins (Lenexa), Raquel Cortez (Houston), Raygan Lattimer (Frontenac), Aubriana Brown (McKinney, Texas), Emma Ferreira (Spring, Texas), Rachel Bennett (Girard), Abby Upton (Inola, Oklahoma) and manager Yelitza Salcedo-Diaz (Kansas City, Missouri).
Kelley hired Tessa Newman, who played for Cook and Deardin at Labette, as her assistant coach.
“I’ve been keeping up with her and her love for volleyball,” Kelley said. “There’s very few people that can match my freak on that level. I’m comfortable with her having a group of athletes under her wing. That’s the driving force.”
Newman echoes Kelley’s sentiments on sparking a turnaround for the Cardinals.
“It’s going to take a different type of kid and we have to change the culture,” Newman said. “We had the culture that Labette sucks. We have to get different kids who want to compete. We can turn it around.”
Labette was picked to finish seventh in the preseason KJCCC poll, which would put the Cardinals into the postseason.
Cowley, the reigning national champions, are the preseason favorites to win the conference. Johnson County is pegged to finish second, followed by Kansas City Kansas, Allen, Highland, Neosho County and Labette. Coffeyville, Fort Scott and Independence are all tied to finish eighth.
“A successful season for Labette, for me, is minimum .500,” Kelley said. “And I want the gym to be excited about volleyball. The bench is having a good time. No more of the same old, same old. I want to see community members from around town. I want it to be something they all celebrate. We are going to make that for them.”
Labette starts its season on Friday, Aug. 22 at the Fort Scott Tournament. Labette’s first home match is on Sept. 3 against Independence, which also opens KJCCC play.
