Everybody knows what a gifted volleyball player Katy St. John is.

The Jackson High School senior has rewritten records and anchored one of the top programs in Southeast Missouri since she first stepped onto the court as a freshman back in 2021. She is the Lady Indians’ all-time leader in kills and was only a sophomore when she set the single-season program record in kills (401). She is a three-time first-team Class 5 All-District 1 selection. She is one of the backbones of a Jackson team that won its fifth District 1 title last season and is poised to six-peat this year.

Her elite performances are the biggest reason why St. John is regarded as one of the best outside hitters in the state and is a Division I talent.

But they are not the only reason.

“She continues, especially this year, to want to get better and improve, and that's a great thing,” head coach David Mirly said. “First of all, she's usually matched up against teams’ best hitters, and then they, of course, have to honor her on the right side, which opens up our left side. So, just her doing those selfless things really shows how much of a team player she is.”

St. John holds herself to the highest standards, and her work ethic and drive is what makes her such a big role model to the younger players on the team.

This fall, the senior has two goals in mind.

“I really want to hit 1,400 kills,” she said. “I think I'm around 1,100, but that's a big goal. I also really want us to go as far as we possibly can because every time we get to state we come up short.”

Not only have the Lady Indians capture five straight district titles, but they have gone on a historic 97-19-10 run since 2021 and are 7-1 to open the 2024 campaign. Jackson has also made the state tournament every year since 2019 but has failed to get past the quarterfinals each time.

Mirly believes getting over that hump is certainly in the realm of possibility for this team.

“With all the inexperience that we have, sometimes they say that young teams don't realize how big the situation is,” he said. “Sometimes they just go out there and they just want to prove that they belong, and that is definitely this team. With all the expectations last year, we have the same this year. But the people outside the community think, ‘OK good, this is the year Jackson is not going to win conference. This is the year Jackson's not going to win district.’ So, we don't have that pressure.

“You see teams all over the place, whether it be in the NFL, college, or whatever, where the team that doesn't have the pressure plays loose and they just have fun and they just enjoy it. Sometimes they sneak up and beat people and win a championship.”

St. John seconds that notion.

“I think us just believing in ourselves and knowing that we are so capable and nobody in this area is putting in as just as much time as we are,” she said. “It's just such a tight-knit, amazing group of girls and I think that we can really do something with it.”

After her senior season, St. John will have her sights set on competing for head coach Julie Yankus and the SEMO Redhawks.

To her, SEMO has always felt like home.

“Coach Yankus just awesome and Coach Matt (Stolz),” she said. “All the girls and the atmosphere is just so awesome and loving, and I just want to spend the next four years there. I'm close to home, so it's convenient.”

Getting four more years out of St. John on the court is a pleasure that Southeast Missouri volleyball fans will be sure to rejoice.