Clay-Battelle volleyball leaning on experience entering 2026 campaign
Trending
BLACKSVILLE – With a solid mix of experience at multiple positions on the court, the Clay-Battelle volleyball team aims to build on the success of recent years.
After a 22-win season in 2025, the Cee-Bees said goodbye to one of the best players in program history, Ginger Gross, who became the first-ever first-team All-State selection in program history.
But head coach Matthew Wood says he is excited about the returning group in 2026, with a core of experienced players throughout the roster at many positions.
Senior Nevaeh St. Clair returns to lead the Cee-Bees after earning second-Team All-State honors in 2025. She led C-B with 381 kills at a 41% hitting rate.
"This season, one of our biggest goals is to get our communication down. We also want to encourage working as a team and always hustling," she said. "In my opinion, the team has many strengths, but our most important strength is the ability to bounce back from mistakes and move forward in games and practices. 'Next ball mentality' is such an important part of what we practice every day."
She was first on the team in blocks (57), second on the team in aces (85), and fourth on the team in digs.
"We have a wealth of experience coming back this year with Nevaeh leading the way," Wood said. "Nevaeh has been a starter since she was a freshman and brings experience and leadership skills. Adelyn King, also a senior, has made great strides this offseason and looks to be a key contributor. Sophia Sandone received a large amount of playing time last year as a sophomore and is back this year. She is very versatile and can play any position we need her to, and she also exhibits strong leadership skills. "Emily Spears, a junior, will step in and be our setter this year, and she has become a coach on the court. Morgan Wilson is back from an injury-limited season last year and is looking to make a bigger impact."
The Cee-Bees also have several freshmen that look to make a big impact at the varsity level. Irelynn Nicholson and Gracelyn Morgan could both see significant playing time at the varsity level.
"Overall, I am very excited about the roster and look forward to the season," Wood said. "The girls have really embraced each other this offseason and preseason and have started to become a family. We are constantly looking to build on our success year after year and get better than we were last season. We enter every match with the mentality that the only team that can beat us is ourselves. That has helped strengthen our culture and made a significant impact on our mentality."
The Cee-Bees kick off the 2026 season with a tri-match at home with Madonna and Fairmont Senior on August 20.
The Cee-Bees will travel to Sabraton on August 25 for the first of two regular-season matchups with cross-county rival Trinity Christian.