Jen O’Neal takes over Marshalltown volleyball squad with lots of experience
Jen O’Neal didn’t foresee the opportunity to coach her daughter in high school volleyball, but she couldn’t pass up the chance either.
Marshalltown High School announced O’Neal as its new varsity volleyball coach in April, and O’Neal said the girls in the program have been working hard to help make her transition an easy one.
“I was a little surprised when the position came open because Kaylee (Peschong) had done such a great job for four years,” said O’Neal. “I had aspirations to become a head coach at some point in my career and the timing was never right or the position wasn’t open. This all just fell into place so I had to go for it.
“A lot of the girls in the program I’ve had interactions with either coaching at AAU or seeing them in the circuit, so this just felt like the right time.”
The Bobcats bring back a bevy of seniors from last year’s squad, which was a part of a 12-27 season in Peschong’s last of four years at the helm. O’Neal can call upon nine seniors on the varsity roster, most of whom have experienced volleyball at the Class 5A level before.
“We have an amazing core group of kids who really want to play together and be successful,” she said. “Our team has decided our mantra or motto is ‘one team,’ so they’re really trying to live that, from our seniors bringing that leadership role all the way down to the freshmen. It’s really been great and I feel like they’ve all stepped up and are playing together.”
Marshalltown returns three of its top five attackers from a year ago in seniors Kennedy Feldman, Laney Danielson and Ellie Hughes. Feldman and Danielson will return to the lineup as outside hitters, while Hughes will share time at setter while also aligning as a right-side hitter.
“While setting is a position she’s played for a while, Ellie absolutely loves hitting,” O’Neal said. “She’s a dynamic hitter and she plays with joy, and that’s when you can be your most successful.”
Hughes and Gaby Estabrook split time at setter a year ago, as well, while sophomore Lauren O’Neal will work into the mix if Hughes flourishes as an attacker.
Madison Rogers made an impact in a limited role at the net last year, and she is expected to start at middle blocker for the Bobcats this fall. Fellow senior Olivia Holmgren has battled through injuries to earn a spot in the rotation as well, working opposite Rogers at middle blocker.
“They have both played at pretty high levels, so they give us an opportunity for a big block up front,” coach O’Neal said.
Sydney Kapayou, another senior, should see court time on the right side as well.
O’Neal said a wide array of players, including seniors McKenna Coleman and Eh Gay and juniors Gianna Baune and Kinsley Bowie will help to fill out the rotation on a regular basis.
“Our hitters have been passing really well, so when you’ve got kids who can play all the way around and give you a really strong front row and go back row and nail the passes, it’s really hard to take them out,” O’Neal said. “We’ll see a lot of variances set-to-set on who’s out there and when.”
The Bobcats begin the new season Tuesday night on the road at Fort Dodge, which won the Iowa Alliance Conference’s North Division last fall. O’Neal likes the early draw against the Dodgers to provide an early measurement of her program’s progress.
“Obviously we’re going into it with the mindset like we can compete with anyone,” she said. “It doesn’t really matter what happened last year, but I definitely think the girls remember the match from last year and would like to rectify that if possible.”
Marshalltown’s home opener will be the Apgar Invite on Sept. 5, when Solon, Waterloo Columbus and Waverly-Shell Rock visit the Roundhouse for a 5 p.m. round-robin event.
O’Neal is expecting her varsity coaching debut, especially the home opener, to be a bit surreal.
“I think becoming the head coach of the Bobcat volleyball team is kind of like a dream come true,” she said. “it’s full circle for me. This is where I played and learned so much from Bruce Vopava, and this feels like a really great opportunity to give back to the place that gave me so much while coaching the sport I love.
“We’ve been going since June 3 and I am just ready to play, ready to get out there and see what they can do because they can do great things and I’m really excited for this team to come together and show everyone what we’re capable of.”
2024 Marshalltown Volleyball Schedule
Aug. 27 at Fort Dodge, 7:15 p.m.
Sept. 3 at Des Moines Hoover, 7:15 p.m.
Sept. 5 APGAR INVITE, 5 p.m.
Sept. 10 AMES, 7:15 p.m.
Sept. 14 at Southeast Polk Invite, 8 a.m.
Sept. 17 WATERLOO EAST, 7:15 p.m.
Sept. 21 at Waterloo West Invite, 9 a.m.
Sept. 24 at Mason City, 7:15 p.m.
Sept. 28 at Cedar Falls Invite, 9 a.m. at UNI Rec & Wellness
Sept. 30 at Roland-Story Invite, 4:30 p.m.
Oct. 1 DES MOINES NORTH, 7:15 p.m.
Oct. 10 at Des Moines East, 7:15 p.m.
Oct. 12 at Oskaloosa Invite, 9 a.m.
Oct. 19 at Iowa Alliance Conference Tournament, TBD